Life Long Learning
by Cleo Clipper
Summary: Very AU and OOC. As a single father with a speech impediment, Tyler Lockwood is content with being alone. Then he falls in love with his daughter's second-grade teacher and things become complicated. A tender Tyler/Jeremy love story. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**This idea have been floating around in my head for a while and I decided to write it out and see how it went. Not exactly sure how long it's gonna be but if I get enough reviews I'll continue writing it. _Wait For It_ is being stubborn right now but the new chapter should be up soon! Please let me know what you guys think of this one. It's a bit like a Harlequin Romance but who doesn't love those? Especially when it's Tyler and Jeremy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. :(**

* * *

Tyler Lockwood yawned from his place sprawled out on the couch, the Chinese food from earlier settling in his stomach making him less inclined to pay attention to the end of the movie in favor of sleep, the two bundles curled up on either side of him making him warm and not helping in the slightest. He sighed as the love-struck teens from _A Cinderella Story_ practically rode off into the sunset together; if only relationships were as easy and magical in real life.

Pom-Pom, the fuzzy Pomeranian that was snuggled on his left side, shifted and growled slightly as the song for the credits started. He petted the furry creature once, smiling slightly as he remembered how excited Katherine had been to bring him home after weeks of searching for that perfect dog.

A car horn blared outside and loud voices drifted through the open windows; it was a Saturday night in New York City and, of course, there was always _something_ going on. The bundle on Tyler's right side stirred and a little head full of curly, brown hair poked out from under the Scooby-Doo blanket. A pair of big, brown eyes opened and blinked sleepily at him.

"How much did I miss?" she asked through a yawn.

"We're at th-th-the credits, your favorite," he teased and she scowled at him.

"Daaaad, why didn't you wake me up?" she whined.

"You were—were tired, you've been staying up t-t-too late," he murmured gently. He pulled her into his lap, effectively waking Pom-Pom and earning a growl from the miniature dog. Katherine snuggled against her father's chest and sighed.

"Another movie?" she asked hopefully.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and shook his head, "N-No Kitty you need to sleep; Caroline's coming early tomorrow and you need to get on schedule for sch-sch-sch-school on Monday."

"But I'm not tired anymore," she said as she gave a big yawn. Tyler laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Bed, _now_," he said pointedly and she pouted before she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and allowed herself to be scooped up in his arms to be carried to her room, still wrapped in her blanket and Pom-Pom trailing behind.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

After another half hour of convincing Katherine to go to sleep did Tyler finally made his way to his own room, Pom-Pom happily trailing him. He collapsed on the soft blankets, exhaustion overtaking him. Caroline was right, he did work too hard, was probably the hardest working employee in the company but he didn't have a choice. He needed to make more to be able to afford rent on their two-bedroom apartment and to keep his daughter in school.

Pom-Pom hopped up on the bed and snuggled next to him and he smiled gently; the dog was annoying at times but it was hard to stay mad at something so fuzzy for long. He shifted to turn off his lamp when his eyes caught the photo sitting next to the alarm clock. He sighed as he picked it up, looking at the three smiling people in the picture; he was so much happier back then, before he and Kol separated and when everything made sense. In the picture, he and Kol were sitting close together on a park bench surrounded by the beautiful fall leaves falling from the trees, smiling as they gazed at each other with love and happiness and Katherine sat between them, a huge grin on her face and brown curls being swept to the side by the wind. The picture was taken in Central Park one day in late September, a couple weeks after they finalized signing the adoption papers. They were celebrating because they finally brought their little girl home; they had stressed constantly the following months over the multiple rejections and fake smiles of the social workers who politely told them they were _not the right type of people to care for a child. _It drove them to near insanity, arguments threatened to tear them apart, the rejections messing with them both. But Caroline came through for them in the end; she had said she would fight as hard as she could to get them a child and she had done her job. And she couldn't have found a more perfect child for them; Katherine Pierce was a shining star in both their lives and they loved her with everything they had.

Well, at least Tyler did. He guessed that same feeling didn't apply to Kol, considering he hadn't once tried to reach out to her since he kicked him out three months ago.

Tyler bit his lip, the memories of the past threatening to take him places he didn't want to visit tonight. He was tired and he had another busy day at the office; this trip down memory lane would bring him nothing but pain.

* * *

He awoke to the sound of his alarm and the smell of breakfast being made, figuring that Caroline had let herself in like she usually did. Turning it off he stumbled out of bed, looking at the other side of the bed where Pom-Pom was still fast asleep, not at all roused by the smell of food. He shook his head as he made his way to their kitchen/dining room; the clock read 8:30 and he needed to be at the office by ten so he had more than enough time for breakfast with his girls. He smiled; Caroline had their schedules down to a tee. For all the doubts she had about being a nanny after leaving her stint as a social worker, she was doing a damn good job. Tyler didn't know how they would survive without her.

He sat next to Kitty and kissed the top of her head. She smiled up at him, "Morning daddy."

Caroline brought the pan over to the table and scraped the scrambled eggs onto three different plates which each had two pieces of bacon and buttered toast. He picked up the steaming cup of black coffee next to his plate, smiling appreciatively at the blonde as he took a sip and closed his eyes; it was hot and bitter, just the way he liked it.

"How do you drink that stuff? It's gross," Kitty asked, watching her father savor his coffee as she took a gulp from her tall glass of chocolate milk.

"When you're older you'll come to appreciate it," Caroline said as she placed her own mug next to her plate. "It keeps us alive in the mornings."

"Well I don't drink it and I'm still alive in the mornings."

"That's because you're young and h-h-have energy," Tyler said smiling fondly; Katherine was in that stage of questioning everything she saw and heard and he found it endearing.

"Just wait until you get to college, coffee will be your best friend," Caroline said and laughed as the bubbly girl wrinkled her nose before taking another bite of her toast.

"But that's not for a long time Caroline! Are you still gonna be my nanny when I go to college?"

"Of course! Your dad wouldn't know what to do without me," she winked at her as Tyler snorted into his mug; even though she was right he wasn't going to admit it.

"Okay, that's good," Katherine sighed in obvious relief as she finished off the rest of her toast. She pushed back the empty plate to meet her empty glass, "I finished it all Daddy! See, look!"

"I'm p-p-p-proud of you Kit-Kat," he said quietly, smiling as he held out his hand so she could give him a high-five. "Go g-g-g-get ready so you can go with—with Caroline."

She smiled and hopped down from the chair and hurried off to her room, Tyler watching her and shaking his head with a smile. He turned back to see Caroline watching him carefully and he sighed, knowing what was coming.

"It seems like it's getting worse and stress is one of your triggers," she took another sip. "What's going on Ty? You okay?"

"Just…work," he spoke slowly, trying to lessen the stuttering as much as possible though he knew it would start again. Her gaze didn't waver from him and he sighed, "My f-f-f—my father keeps asking me to work for him at th-th-th-the firm. He doesn't—doesn't th-think marketing for St-St-Starbucks is using my full p-p-potential."

"Oh God Ty, I'm sorry," she sighed as she sat her mug down. "You should tell your dad to shove it; you have a fantastic job that you love, though I still think you work too much. Every time I see you in the evenings you look ready to drop. And Kitty told me she misses you."

"I know," he said quietly, looking down, "I want to sp-sp-sp-spend more time with her but since…since _he_ left its b-b-b-been hard to keep up with rent…and I want—want her to st-st-st-stay at Hillmark; she's happy there."

She smiled sadly; ever since the split Tyler had to work longer hours in order to have enough for rent. They even moved from the apartment they were originally living in to a smaller one but she thought that was more because he didn't want to be faced with the memories. She felt guilty that Tyler insisted on paying her so much to take care of his daughter; if she didn't need the money so bad she would have done it for free; she loved spending time with them, they were practically her family.

"You really need to take a vacation Tyler," she murmured covering his hand and squeezing it, "you were doing so well; it was almost gone until Kol left. Ever since then it's gotten worse; even Kitty's said something. She worries about you."

Tyler bit his lip; he had a feeling that Kol was another trigger to bring back the stuttering, much as he didn't want to admit it. But he couldn't hide things from Caroline; she knew him too well.

"I'll…I'll be fine," he whispered. Truthfully, he wouldn't be fine for a while but his life couldn't stop because of Kol. The man didn't deserve his time after what he'd done. Yet it still hurt; no matter how many times he tried to tell himself otherwise, his heart felt heavy and sometimes he felt like he couldn't breathe when he thought about him. His eyes burned; he pretended it was from the coffee.

"You're _not_ fine Tyler! Just let me set you up on _one_ date; I know plenty of guys that would be interested in you!"

Tyler snorted, "Yeah they're interested until they meet me, then they can't g-get away fast enough b-b-b-because of the st-stutter. And even—even if th-they looked p-p-p-past that then it's—it's the single father bit that'll dr-dr-drive them away. I'm not exactly a hot com-com-commodity Caroline."

"First of all, there are plenty of single parents who are dating, you just need to make sure whoever you choose is kid-friendly. Second, you're stutter isn't a big deal Tyler; you just need to work on it more and if that makes guys uncomfortable, then you don't need to be with them anyways. There are plenty of people who stutter and they manage to have successful relationships."

He bit his lip, looking down and she sighed, placing her mug on the table, "Tyler, you're a great guy! You're smart, you're funny, you're smokin' hot and you have a high-paying job at one of the biggest companies in the world. On top of all of that, you are one of the most caring and loving people I've ever met; if guys can't see that, then it's their problem! It might take you a while to find someone but they're out there and you _will_ find them. You're going to meet someone who will adore and cherish everything, single about you—including your stutter—just like I do and they'll be a hell of a lot better than that asshole."

"Yeah we'll—we'll see," he said, deciding to humor Caroline. He loved her like a sister and knew she was just trying to help but going out and trying to find someone to try and fill the hole in his heart wasn't going to fix anything. Plus he knew his odds of finding someone—and keeping them—were slim. He needed someone who had the patience to understand him through his speech impediment and most people just weren't like that. His musings were interrupted by Katherine thundering through the hallway and back into the kitchen, a fuzzy, bunny back-pack on her shoulders and a stylish hat on her head to match the shirt and skirt combo she picked out. At seven, Katherine was heavily influenced by Caroline when it came to fashion and definitely knew how to dress better than most her age.

"Ready," she panted. "How do I look?"

"Like a superstar," he murmured and he held out his arms for her to run into. He kissed her hair and buried his nose in her hair for a moment, once again thanking fate for bringing this bouncy girl into his life. Caroline's chair scraped back against the hardwood floor as she stood to grab the dishes and wash them quickly before she picked up her stylish, designer purse, one of the few she didn't have to sell to keep up with rent, and coming around to hug Tyler as well.

"Just think about it Ty, please," she muttered and he nodded. She pulled back and smiled at the bouncing girl, "Ready to go see some animals Kit-Kat?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed happily. "I'll bring you back a good present Daddy since you can't go."

"Alright baby," he murmured and waved as they left. Once he heard the door close he dropped his head in his hands and sighed heavily, Caroline's words waging a war in his head. He couldn't just go out and find someone, he had a daughter to think about and he wasn't about to become one of those parents that let random men in and out of her life. He needed someone who would be there for the long run, someone not only he could depend on, but Katherine could too.

Deciding not to dwell on it anymore he made his way to the bathroom and turned the water for his shower all the way to hot. It was going to be another long day.

* * *

He got in to the office around five minutes early and he smiled as he saw Matt Donovan in the lounge fixing his daily cup of bitter Starbucks coffee.

"Hey man," he said, nodding to him and Tyler nodded back. Out of the hundreds of employees that worked at Starbucks, Tyler only talked to Matt, Bonnie with the cubicle next to his and his boss when occasion called for it. He tended to avoid everyone else and everyone else tried to avoid talking to 'that guy with the stutter.' It suited him just fine; he hated seeing the pitying looks on people's faces when he tried speaking to them anyways.

He made it to his cubicle without anyone bothering him and he sat, preparing to get started on his latest project. A Venti sized Starbucks cup was placed on his desk and he smiled at Bonnie. "I got it just the way you like it."

"Thanks Bonnie," he said quietly as he took a sip. When she was first hired Tyler was instructed to show her around and to let her be his shadow for a few days. He had been extremely nervous, meeting new people had always frightened him, so of course the stutter was more present than usual but Bonnie had simply waited patiently every time he had difficulty spitting out a sentence and would smile encouragingly and continue on like nothing happened. Tyler quickly became comfortable around her and the two became fast friends, mostly because Bonnie liked to talk a lot and he just preferred to listen.

Matt came around to Tyler's other side with his own large cup and sighed heavily as he sat down. "Another day in paradise."

"At least today is payday," Bonnie said as she sat down. "And after this, we get two days off…well most of us do."

"Yeah. I don't know how you can work six 10-hour days Ty and not want to shoot yourself," Matt said as he took a large gulp of coffee. "It's hard enough to do five around this hectic place."

Tyler hummed and sipped his coffee. His thoughts strayed to his daughter and Caroline at the zoo and he wished he could be there with them. The zoo was one of Katherine's favorite places to go besides Central Park; when he and Kol first brought her to the zoo there were there for more than four hours as she took in all the animals with big brown eyes full of wonder and awe. Tyler smiled inwardly; that was one of his favorite first memories with his daughter.

"Here comes the boss man, better act like we're doing something," Matt muttered and he hunched over his desk pretending to be engaged. Tyler's computer finally booted as Klaus rounded the corner, his sharp voice snapping at people to get to work.

Tyler unconsciously held his breath as he walked by and let it go when he disappeared around another corner. Something about Klaus gave him the chills; maybe it was the way he always seemed to be leering whenever he spoke to him or maybe it was the tone of his voice. Tyler never tried to be alone with the man, the times he had been alone with him some of the most uncomfortable in his life.

With a sigh he pulled up his latest marketing project and started working. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could go home to his girls.

* * *

Continue?


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so glad people like the story! I've been having a lot of fun writing it and I've got it planned out to about 8 or 9 chapters right now, but that may change, we'll see. Now I present Chapter 2, which features a slightly scruffy Tyler in a suit and Jeremy wearing glasses. Adorable :)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own :(**

* * *

"How about this? This is…teacher looking right?" the man stepped out of the dressing room of H&M turning around for his cousin to look him over.

"Yeah…but don't wear the grey blazer, try the black one," Elena Petrova said as she flicked her long brown hair behind her. She tapped her French-manicured nails against her lip as her cousin walked back out now wearing a black blazer over a white button-down shirt and khakis. Elena frowned slightly, "Eh, I change my mind, the other jacket was better."

"Elena, make up your mind," Jeremy Gilbert sighed as he took off the jacket and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I don't know why I asked you of all people to come; you can't decide what to wear most days."

"Good thing we both have limitations on what we can wear to work," she shot back and he rolled his eyes as he walked back into the dressing room. "You might as well buy everything, it all looks good on you Jere, and it's not like you get a lot of choices if it's a private school," she called out to him.

He came back a couple minutes later with twelve different hangers that held jackets, pants and shirts. "I need more than this, you know. My current wardrobe isn't teacher material."

"I thought they wore uniforms at this school?" she asked as they went to stand in the semi-long line at the front of the store. The three-story retailer was packed today; then again, it was a Saturday and in New York, it was one of the busiest days of the week for retail stores. "Aren't they supposed to give you a blazer at least?"

Jeremy snorted, "Yeah but they would have taken out of my first paycheck. You know how expensive _their_ blazers are?"

"Can't imagine they look as good as this though," she took the black blazer and held it up. "This is nice; I might borrow this from you sometime."

"It would look like a dress. New fashion statement?" Jeremy laughed.

"That's the point! I could pull off Miley Cyrus's outfit from the Billboard Awards. People think that outfit was scandalous but they just don't know good fashion. The girl knows how to dress."

"You should show up to work in that; I'm sure Stefan would be more than willing to give you a raise then."

She made a face as she thought about her boss and co-worker, "That man…I don't know how he's a therapist honestly. He has as much patience as a raging bull and he's always pissed off about something, especially when his brother is involved."

"Damon? I thought he was one of the top doctors in the country?"

"He is, that's why Stefan's so bitter. He's not top anything."

"And probably because said brother happened to steal you away."

"We've been over this; Stefan and I just didn't connect! It's not my fault his brother decided to swoop in."

"You didn't even let him know you were seeing him until your third date, of course he's bitter," Jeremy chuckled as they made it to the register. "You knew he's always had a thing for you and you just broke the poor guy's heart."

"Still not my fault," Elena grumbled as Jeremy said a polite 'thank you' to the cashier and grabbed his bags. "Stefan broods too much. Damon is the total opposite and he has a motorcycle. What woman can resist a man who is charming, wears leather jackets, drives a bike and helps people for a living? He's the total package."

"Until you get in that motorcycle accident," Jeremy said and laughed when Elena hit him playfully.

"Try dating a guy with a motorcycle Jere, then you'll see where I'm coming from. Speaking of which…what do you think of going on a blind date tonight?"

"Oh god, please tell me this isn't another one of Rose's attempts to play matchmaker," Jeremy groaned. The last two times he agreed to one of their friend Rose's infamous blind dates he was sorely disappointed. "Where does she meet all these gay guys?"

"Starline, where else?" Elena laughed as they got in line for a pretzel. Starline was her favorite bar even though it was mostly for gay people.

"If she sets me up with another person like Logan or that guy with the Fabio hair then I'm done. And I thought she stopped going to those places because she was out looking for 'the one?'"

"Nope, she was there this past weekend," she and Jeremy paid for their pretzels and sat down on a near-by bench near the fountain in the mall. "So are you in?"

He sighed; guess there was no getting out of this one. "What's his name?"

"Rick. He's the president of some small book publishing company and he apparently drives a mustang."

"Ugh, sounds like Alaric," he said referring to their Aunt Jenna's husband. He was nearing his 50s but still believed he was in his 20s because he drove a convertible. Elena gazed at him with her big brown eyes, giving him that look that always made him give in to her wishes.

"Do I have to?" he whined.

"This is the last one, I swear! After this I'll tell her not to set you up anymore. But maybe this guy will be good Jere. You never know until you try."

"Most blind dates don't even work. It's like eHarmony and that Match website; that stuff doesn't actually work, it's just giving people false hope."

"Aww Jere have a little faith! Remember when we were younger and you would sit and read those romance books for hours and hours and you would always tell me that true love is real and everyone has a soul mate? What happened to that boy?"

"He went to high-school," Jeremy muttered taking a bite of his cinnamon pretzel. He still did believe that true love existed, just not for him. Elena sighed and patted his back.

"You can't let that jerk keep you alone Jere. Not all guys are like him—in fact most guys aren't like him at all. You need to be open and not be afraid of letting someone in."

"I know Elena…it's just…hard."

"I understand Jere, I do, but don't you think you've punished yourself long enough over this? You don't need to be alone; that dick had no idea what he was talking about. Now you're in a city with endless possibilities for romance and he's stuck in Virginia so don't let him stop you. Get back in the game little cousin!"

Jeremy laughed; Elena was like his personal cheerleader, always rooting for him and he loved her for it. He smiled, "Thanks for the pep talk, cousin."

"That's what I'm here for," she smiled back and she balled up her paper and napkin, "Now we need to hit Macy's; it's the semi-annual sale and the entire men's section is 50% off, along with those shoes I wanted."

"You mean the one's Stefan said he liked?" he grinned at Elena's glare as she looped her arm through his and steered him in the direction of the huge department store.

* * *

"That was so cool! Do you think Daddy will like this one?" Katherine asked excitedly holding a shirt that had a picture of two dolphins jumping in the air. The Staten Island Zoo had just recently opened the new dolphin show and exhibit, exciting Katherine to no end that she could see a show starring one of her favorite animals.

"I think he's going to love anything you get him. He already has that shirt with the bear on it so why don't you get him that mug?"

"Okay!" she cried and scampered off to find it. Caroline laughed and shook her head; Katherine was always so energetic. She went back to looking at the key-chains on display and was considering buying the 'C' one with dolphins darting out from either side when her phone rang.

"Hey Ty, perfect timing! We're at the gift shop; you know she couldn't leave without buying you something."

He chuckled on the other end and she could imagine him shaking his head. "Well I finished my project early and I want to t-t-t-take you guys to lunch."

"Cheesecake Factory?" she asked hopefully. It was her favorite restaurant and it gave her perfect reason to stare at the mega-hot waiter that worked around lunchtime during the week.

"Alright, I'll see you in about an-an hour or so," he said with a laugh and they each hung up as Katherine came thundering back with the mug securely stashed in the crook of her arm, along with three stuffed animals of a whale, a dolphin and a seal. Caroline's eyebrows shot up in amusement, "Those all for Dad?"

"No, these three are for me," she panted with a wide grin. "And Pom-Pom; he likes to snuggle with other animals."

Caroline laughed and took the merchandise in her arms, making her way to the counter.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

After sailing through Macy's, JC Penny's and Victoria Secrets (the semi-annual sale, Elena couldn't resist) the two shopping cousins decided it was time for lunch and headed over to the Cheesecake Factory. After standing in line for about five minutes and waiting for another fifteen they were seated in a booth with a window view that over looked Manhattan. Elena prattled on about something or someone from work and Jeremy was half-listening, mostly reading his menu when a squeal caught his ear. He looked up to see the source of the sound and he felt his heart stopped beating.

A party of three was coming right towards him and they wound up being seated across the way from him and Elena. The source of the squeal was the little girl who looked to be about seven or eight with long, curly brown hair, the length reminding him of Elena's naturally straight hair. She was beautiful and she apparently got her looks from both of her parents; her mother seemed to have the same curly hair but looked as if it was shorter and she dyed it blonde. Though their features weren't exactly the same, she was still beautiful. But it was her father that had made Jeremy's heart stutter in his chest.

He was sure he had never seen a more beautiful man. He was dressed in an expensive looking black suit and wearing black shoes, the suit alone making Jeremy swoon. He had a light stubble, his sideburns meeting his short, dark hair. It looked soft; Jeremy itched to run his fingers through it. Perfect, tan skin teased him and he stopped breathing all-together when the man turned in his direction and their eyes locked. Jeremy couldn't look away as he gazed into the most beautiful chocolate brown orbs he'd ever seen, immediately feeling self-conscious about his too-long hair and his glasses that had slipped down his nose but he couldn't look away. He lost himself in his eyes that were swirling with curiosity, surprise and…longing? The moment was broken when Elena called out to him and his head quickly turned to face her.

"Jeremy? Jere? What were you looking at?" she asked a little impatiently.

"Sorry, ah…nothing, what were you saying?" he asked quickly and she began her story again. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the man turn his head again but he didn't dare turn back to him, certain he would tune Elena out altogether. He continued to smile and nod when necessary throughout the story, the man's burning gaze sending pleasurable shivers down his spine.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

He knew he was staring but he couldn't help it. He didn't think he had seen such a gorgeous human being before and when their eyes met, he had felt an instant connection with him. Katherine was telling him about her exciting trip to the zoo with Caroline but for once he was, unintentionally, ignoring his hyper daughter in favor of staring at the man in the booth across from him. He felt like he was being a creep, openly staring at someone the way he was but he couldn't turn his head away.

"Daddy, are you listening to me?" Katherine's voice snapped him out of his staring and he turned and nodded absentmindedly.

"Yeah baby, it s-s-s-sounds like you had fun," he murmured and picked up his menu; Caroline was so busy deciding what she wanted that she hadn't realized that Tyler was distracted. When Katherine had looked down to color on her paper did Tyler deem it safe to look back at the gorgeous angel across from him, but he was turned to someone in the seat across from him he couldn't see. He sighed and turned back to his menu; he wanted to know everything about him, and he didn't even know his name. He unconsciously glanced over again and his heart sped up as the man smiled and laughed at his companion. This man was more than gorgeous, Tyler thought, he was stunning, he was beautiful, he was…perfect.

_There's no way you could have a chance with him_, a nasty voice that sounded exactly like his father said nastily in his head. _What would he want with someone like you? A single father who stutters…you don't deserve someone like him. He's too good for you. _He shook his head; he had to stop thinking like that.

Their waitress finally came, giving Tyler a distraction and he ordered the first thing he saw on the menu, not really caring if it sounded good or not.

* * *

The weekend came and went and before they knew it, it was Monday morning. Caroline was busy making breakfast—strawberry pancakes and hash-browns, Katherine's favorite—while Tyler dressed her and gathered her school supplies together, preparing her for her first day. He always felt nervous at the thought of taking his only child to school for some irrational reason and Caroline always had to reassure him that she would be fine. He licked his lips as he brushed back Katherine's long, brown hair into a pony-tail; he was seriously considering giving Caroline a raise for keeping his sanity as well as his child.

"Are you ex-ex-ex—are you excited baby?" he asked the bubbly seven-year-old.

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet my new teacher and I miss Anna and Pearl!" she said referring to her two best friends since kindergarten with a wide grin, her legs swinging rapidly in the chair. "I am gonna miss Caroline though. What's she gonna do all day since she doesn't have to take care of me?"

"She's going to school too, j-j-just online," he said as he clipped a blue and silver bow into her hair, the colors of Hillmark Academy. "But she'll be there to pick you up after—after school so you'll see her then."

"Okay, that's good. What about you Daddy? When do I get to see you?"

"A-A-A-After my speech therapy. I'll come—come straight home, okay?"

"Okay," she grinned at him and stood on the chair to throw her arms around him. He sighed and hugged her deeply.

"I love you Daddy," she said gently. Tyler smiled and held her tighter.

"Love you too Kitten."

"I love you guys too but breakfast is getting cold and you need to leave soon so we need to hurry!"

"Pancakes!" Katherine cried as she leapt down from the chair and ran into the kitchen. Tyler laughed and followed her; if there was anything Katherine loved more than the zoo, it was pancakes. If she could, she would have them every morning.

After quickly dressing, he made his way to his own plate of pancakes; Katherine had already finished two-thirds of her plate and had already drunk half her glass of chocolate milk.

"So, you excited girly? The first days are always the best," Caroline said with a big smile.

"Mmhmm," she said through a mouthful of pancakes, the food making her already chubby cheeks protrude even more. "I can't wait to meet my teacher!"

"I can't wait to hear all about it," the blonde said honestly. "Second grade was one of my favorite years."

"Do you even remember what you d-d-did in second grade Caroline?" Tyler asked her with a smirk. She playfully glared at him.

"Yes, smarty! I was the queen bee of the class; everyone came to me for advice on fashion and boys, but that became a bit of a problem because all the boys wanted to kiss me."

Katherine wrinkled her nose, "That's gross…did you kiss them?"

"And it's time to go," Tyler interrupted before Caroline even opened her mouth, shooting her a warning glare. The last thing he needed was for Katherine to get the idea that kissing anyone other than him or Caroline was okay.

She laughed out an, "Alright," and handed the brown-haired girl her zebra printed backpack she picked out herself. She kissed the top of her head, "Have a good day sweetie! I packed your lunch and it's in the second pouch so it wouldn't get crushed by your books and your supplies."

"Thanks Caroline, I'll see you after school?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Of course," she said and kissed the top of her head again before she moved to hug Tyler. She kissed his stubbly jaw, "I better see you before six. Stop working so late."

"I'll—I'll try…I have an—an appointment with my-my-my speech therapist at four," he murmured and he felt her nod before the broke apart. Caroline went to make herself comfortable on the couch for two hours of online classes while Tyler grabbed his daughter's hand and walked out the door.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Jeremy felt his heart racing a mile a minute as he welcomed parents and children into the classroom; he had always been extremely nervous and shy when it came to meeting new people and the anxiety hadn't eased up over time, even though this was not his first time teaching his own class. At 23, he had actually accomplished a lot, teaching at one very prestigious private school in Brooklyn and being a substitute teacher at another before Hillmark had called him with an open position. The pay was too good to pass up and three months later he found himself wearing a dark blue blazer (a used one he wound up buying from a school uniform shop) and his comfortable khaki pants, shaking the hands of the ridiculously wealthy parents who could afford to send their child to this nice institution. His face hurt from keeping his smile pasted there for so long and his hands were starting to get a bit clammy. Once he started talking to just the children, he knew it would be different; they didn't make him half as nervous as adults did.

He pulled his new glasses away from his face a little to lessen the pinching feeling; so far there had been no problem and the children were very well behaved, though he expected no less from children who were born and raised with high expectations in manners and behavior. In a way, Jeremy almost pitied them for not being able to be loud and wild, like children were supposed to be. But that's where he came in. After about a week in his class, children usually became less stiff and more child-like because he made it his mission to make school fun. It was one of the many reasons he loved being a teacher.

He had just finished talking to the Wiltmores about their twins, Sabrina and Sander, and had turned to greet the next parent when he froze, the greeting catching in his throat. Because the next parent was the gorgeous, male-model guy he had seen at lunch over the weekend. The man who he hadn't been able to stop thinking about since he saw him and he didn't even know his name, the man who had made his date Saturday night less than exciting because he wished he was with him instead of that narcissistic Rick guy.

Once again brown eyes locked and Jeremy swore everyone else in the room disappeared because he couldn't see or hear anyone outside of the two of them. He was an avid believer in true love and happily ever after's and feeling butterflies in his stomach after making a connection with someone but he had never felt something like this…ever. His heart raced faster than it did before and he realized he was just staring like an idiot; he coughed lightly and smiled, willing his hands to stop shaking.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy Gilbert and I'll be your…child's teacher this year." He could have slammed his head against the wall for sounding so lame.

The tanned beauty grasped his hand and Jeremy felt sparks and heat and flames shooting through his hand and up his arm. His hand was firm and warm and he was imagining how those hands would feel all over his body…

"I'm Tyler," the man murmured softly, snapping him out of his day-dream, "and this—this is Katherine, my d-d-daughter."

Jeremy bit his lip through his smile as he gazed down at the brown-haired girl so as to hide the anguish he suddenly felt. So he _was_ married…_of_ _course_ he was married. No one that good-looking would stay single; his wife was a lucky woman. He sighed inwardly; he would wallow in self-pity later.

"Hi Katherine, it's so nice to meet you," he said sincerely and he was rewarded with a toothy smile. "Do you have another name you like to be called?"

"Well…I only let my dad or Caroline call me Kitty but I wouldn't mind if you did," she answered and Jeremy smiled; he liked her already.

_So she's her step-mother_, Jeremy mused. "Okay Kitty, your desk has your name on it so it won't be hard to find," he wanted them to leave so he could admire Tyler from afar; God, he was beautiful. As he shook more hands he couldn't stop his gaze from wandering to Tyler and Katherine and as he watched Katherine sit at her desk and Tyler crouch down with his hand on her knee, whispering to her, he couldn't help but want to be the one with Tyler, taking their daughter to her first day of school.

He sighed again; it was going to be a long year.

* * *

**Reviews are love!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I'm glad you guys like the story so much because it's been a joy to write! **

**It's come to my attention that the website is on a purge of all stories with explicit adult content and stories and accounts are being deleted left and right. Well in the event that my stories are deleted (I've got smut planned for both Jyler stories and my One Tree Hill story already has it' fair share) you can find my email on my profile and I will happily send you chapters as I write them. Again I am only doing this as a pre-caution in case my stories are deleted. Until then, I will continue to post on here, smut and all ;)**

**Disclaimer: don't own**

* * *

"Have you been stressed lately? It seems like your stutter only really comes when you've been experiencing a lot of stress."

Tyler started to shake his head before he thought better of it and nodded. There was no point in denying what was blatantly obvious; he had been stressed out because of his father, his job, and raising his seven-year-old alone.

"Would you like to…talk about why you've been stressed?" Elena asked, big brown eyes gazing at him imploringly. Normally she wouldn't ask about her patients' lives but something told her Tyler needed someone to talk to. As one of her more favored patients, she went out on an extra limb for him.

Tyler bit his lip and looked down; he wasn't sure he was ready to admit that most of his stress was because of Kol. He met Elena's eyes again and sighed.

"I…m-m-m-my partner, he…I caught him in our bed with—with a woman. A-A-A-And he tried to lie about—about it but I kicked him out and—and Katherine and I m-m-moved to a different area closer to her school."

"I see," she murmured; it didn't surprise her that he was gay. "And what about your father? I know you were having problems with him before."

He nodded, "Yeah—yeah he doesn't approve of m-m-m-my lifestyle. He—he doesn't even want to meet my daughter. My—my mother's tried to get him t-t-t-to change his mind but he's stubborn."

"And he wants you to work at his law firm, correct?"

"Yeah but I don't…I don't want t-t-to be like him at all," Tyler muttered, cringing at the thought of being anything like his cold, unloving father. The man was the main reason his stutter never went away. He recalled times when he was younger when his father would terrify the hell out of him; always yelling at him to be the best, yelling at him to speak properly, to go out for football, to get the best grades, etc. When he finally left for college he was more than relieved to get away from him. His mother had even encouraged him to go to NYU and stay on campus, saying that being around other could do him some good and it had. His stutter had almost completely gone away after a couple of months and the small amount of friends he had there were supportive and patient with him. Then one day his friend Amy had set him up with Kol and the two immediately hit it off. He was so genuine and natural around Tyler that he felt as if he knew him his whole life; they started spending more and more time together until eventually Kol asked to see him exclusively. The two had been together since, even going so far as to adopt a little girl like they talked about.

Then the dream was shattered when Tyler came home early one day, hoping to surprise his lover and got a bigger surprise in return.

She smiled sympathetically and squeezed his hand, "That's understandable Tyler. I can't imagine what it must have been like to live in that type of household or what it must feel like to be betrayed like that. It makes sense that your stutter has returned but we're going to work hard on it and you'll be as good as you were before okay?"

"Okay," he muttered, smiling a bit. Elena had always been good to talk to about these things; Caroline was great for venting to but Elena wasn't close to him like Caroline was. She could give him better advice on handling problems than Caroline could sometimes.

His glanced at the clock; Katherine should be home by now and wired from her first day. His thoughts drifted to her teacher and the surprise he felt upon seeing that it was the same beautiful angel from the restaurant. He would find himself in a situation like this; pinning over someone who was probably not even gay and who just so happened to be his daughter's instructor. The universe truly hated him.

* * *

"The universe hates me," Jeremy groaned as he plopped down on the couch after a long first week at his new school, during which he could not get Kitty's father out of his head. He groaned as the man crossed his mind _yet again_ and he shoved a spoonful of cookie dough ice cream into his mouth.

"Why does it hate you? Better, what did you do to piss it off?" Elena asked amused as she flipped through channels on their flat-screen.

"Well—I haven't done anything! And it's a long story," he said quickly, "but one of my kid's fathers is someone I've…met before and…well…"

"And you think he's insanely hot but you don't want to try anything with him because he's one of your student's fathers?"

"And he's married," Jeremy groaned, sulking into the plush armchair. "His wife looks like she could be Miss U.S.A."

"Ooh, you have no chance," Elena said jokingly. Jeremy groaned again and shoveled another large spoonful into his mouth. "Well he's always good as eye candy. What's his name? I might know them."

"Oh no, I'm not telling you so you can stalk them," Jeremy said warily. Every time he told Elena about someone he was a _little_ interested in she made it a point to find out _everything_ about them and he didn't want her to know anything about Tyler. He couldn't explain it but he wanted to get to know the guy first before Elena hopped all over him.

"Aww come on Jere. I only 'stalk' them so I can see if they're good enough for you! It's for your own good."

"Well I didn't stalk Damon when you first started going out. And I still don't know much about him other than what you or he has said. I respect his privacy."

"Is he ugly? Is that why you don't want me to know?"

"He's definitely not ugly; he could be the face of Calvin Klein's underwear ads."

"Well then why—"

"Because there's nothing for me to do about it!" he said exasperatedly. "He's married and the father of one of my students. It's not going to happen Elena, that's why I don't want you to know. You give me too much hope with these things and then I'm always let down."

She sighed, "Alright, that's fair. But if you're ever curious…"

"Nope, I'm good," he lied. He was dying to know everything about Tyler but he knew it wasn't a good idea to get involved in anything having to do with his kids other than at school. It didn't make him feel any better as he finished off the last of his ice cream; he hoped his feelings for Tyler would pass with time but he had a feeling they would only continue to grow.

* * *

Sundays were Tyler's favorite days; not only did he not have to work but neither one of his girls had school, so they could all spend the day together. He needed this day after the hell that was this past week; he had seen Jeremy every day when he dropped of his daughter and the smile the man would give him would make his heart skip beats and his breath catch in his throat, often distracting him at work and he was called out on it more than once by Klaus and Rebekah, his sister and President of the company. He would stay and talk to the man for a couple of minutes, during which he would stutter out things that he was sure Jeremy couldn't understand but he wear that smile and talk to him as if they were good friends. He contemplated, more than once, about asking the beautiful man out to dinner but every time he gained a little courage to ask he would talk himself out of it, convincing himself that it wasn't a good idea to fraternize with his daughter's teacher and how awkward things would be if Jeremy wasn't even gay. But he couldn't help himself as he thought about that smile, his heart doing a little flip; he wanted to know him, everything about him. It had been a while since anyone captured his interests the way this man had but he willed the thought away; it would only be more stress he would put on himself and that was the last thing he needed right now. He didn't do well in social situations.

He rolled over and sighed heavily; how could he have such strong feelings for someone he hardly knew? Maybe it was because this was the first time in a long time that Kol's betrayal didn't bother him so much; he hadn't thought much about the man this past week in favor of day-dreaming about Jeremy. Maybe that's all this was, an escape from his loneliness and a hope of sharing his life with someone who could love him for who he was one day; someone who would not only love him but love Katherine as well and, eventually accept her as their child. He closed his eyes, picturing that someone to be Jeremy; Katherine had raved all week long about how awesome Mr. Gilbert was and that it was going to be a fun year with him so she already liked him. He imagined coming home to Jeremy every night, being greeted with soft kisses and simple, home-cooked meals as soon as he walked in, imagined them taking long walks in the park with the girls, Katherine and Caroline feeding the ducks in the lake while they sat on a nearby bench watching them and stealing kisses when they felt like it, smiling at each other all the while.

His daydream was interrupted when he was tackled by two giggling bodies and a mass of brown, curly hair blocked his vision. He laughed as he lifted Kitty into the air who squealed happily before putting her down gently between him and Caroline. She smiled at him, "I don't understand how you can sleep so late Ty; it's almost noon!"

"Yeah Daddy, let's do something!" Katherine exclaimed getting to her feet, jumping up and down.

"Hmm…" he thought for a moment with a mock frown on his face. "How about…w-w-we go to th-th-the movies and see Madag-g-gascar?"

Katherine cried out happily jumping up and down on the bed. "Can Pearl and Anna come too Daddy?"

"Yeah, why d-d-don't you call and ask them?" he laughed as she squealed again and jumped off the bed, running into the living room to call her friends. Caroline laughed, shaking her head and Tyler chuckled; his daughter's enthusiasm always brought a smile to his face.

"You want me to take them? I can't imagine an old man in his mid-30s would be interested in seeing Madagascar," she said laughing. Tyler glared playfully at her but it turned into a grin.

"I want t-t-to see how different car-cartoons are these days," he said dryly. "I need t-t-to know what my kid is being ex-ex-exposed to."

"Talking animals isn't exactly something to be alarmed about Ty," she said teasingly and laughed when he shoved her lightly. She hopped out of the bed, pulling down her shirt and her jeans up a bit. "I made cinnamon rolls and omelets for breakfast—and before you ask I only let her have two rolls, I know how she gets—and I made peach and raspberry ice tea."

"Th-Th-Thanks Caroline," he said with a smile she returned before flouncing out of the room. He sighed as his thoughts went back to Jeremy once more before he shook his head and got out of bed, heading to the shower. The movie would be good for him; he needed something to distract him for a few hours.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

The movie turned out to be the perfect distraction; Tyler, Caroline and Katherine met up with Pearl, Anna and their parents for the movie, and they all went out to dinner afterwards. Tyler had become good friends with their parents, Kelly and Phil after Pearl and Anna had defended Katherine from bullies last year.

Katherine had been having problems with a few of the students in her class because they thought that a girl having two fathers was unnatural. During one particular incident where she had been ganged up on by five children, Pearl and her younger twin Anna came to Katherine's defense even though they had never met. Tyler was always grateful to the twins for helping his daughter that day and even more grateful to their parents for filing a complaint against the parents of the children who had bullied his little girl. After multiple apologies from Kelly and her husband, she insisted on treating Tyler, Kol and Katherine to dinner where they became fast friends. After that day, Katherine's bullies bothered her less since she was always around Pearl and Anna. Before Caroline had become Katherine's full-time nanny, Kelly and Phil would watch Katherine when they could, making things easier on Tyler when he and Kol split. To this day, the girls were great friends and were inseparable at school and now on the weekends.

At dinner, Kelly gushed over how wonderful the girl's teacher was and that she was happy he wasn't anything like the 'wretch' of a teacher their daughters had last year.

"He knows how to handle kids, that man," she said approvingly in her heavy southern accent. "He knows how to treat children without lettin' them get outta hand if you know what I mean."

"It's only the first week sweetheart, he'll be yellin' at them soon enough," Phil said, his Brooklyn accent prominent while taking a sip of his beer. "You like him, Tyler?"

"Y-Yeah, seems like—like a good guy," he murmured, glad the menu was hiding the heavy blush he knew was spreading across his face. He felt Caroline's eyes on him but he didn't look in her direction.

"Well the girls absolutely love him! And they said he has no tolerance for bullies. I hope that Taylor kid watches his mouth this year because I don't think he'll stay in that class very long if he doesn't," Kelly stated as she flipped her long, blonde hair behind her shoulder and took a sip of her Arnold Palmer. "He should've been expelled after last year. He hasn't been givin' y'all any trouble has he?" she asked, turning to the three seven-year-olds.

"Nope," Katherine said shaking her head, the other two following her motions. "He hasn't said anything at all." She left out the part where Pearl and Anna cornered him before class on the second day and threatened to beat him up in front of all his friends should he choose to harass any of them this year.

"You know why he teases you Kitty? He's got a crush on you," Caroline said, laughing as Katherine made a face and Pearl and Anna voiced their disgust.

"That's gross," Katherine said as she put down her blue crayon. "I would never be his girlfriend. Not even if he was nice to me this year."

"If he likes her then why would he tease her?" Anna asked with wide, grey eyes.

"Because that's the only way he can show her his feelings," Caroline said as Kelly and Phil laughed. "I'll bet he's scared to let you know how he feels about you, Kit-Kat."

"Well if he liked me, he should've just said so instead of teasing me because now I'll never like him. _Ever,_" she emphasized and the adults broke into laughter. Tyler smiled at her fondly; he was glad Katherine hadn't hopped aboard the boy train like some young girls he'd seen on television. Katherine and the twins were too busy being children to even think about boys and he was glad he wouldn't have to worry about that for a long time.

"Smart young lady," Phil chuckled and Katherine smiled at him before going back to her coloring. He turned to the other adults, "I'm tellin' ya, I'm thankful our girls aren't like these other kids I see at the clinic. I just delivered a girl's baby today, only fifteen-years-old! And I'm sittin' there wonderin' where the hell these parents are, where the hell are their teachers to step in and intervene!"

"Phil, they're only seven! But I understand what you mean; these kids grow up too fast these days," Kelly agreed. "I think Mr. Gilbert understands that and that's why he's keeping learning fun for kids because Lord knows they all try to act so grown so fast. The lessons he's got planned for those kids are somethin' Phil. He's gonna be good for them."

"I need to meet him! He sounds like the best teacher at the school," Caroline said and Kelly smiled at her before launching into more praises about Mr. Gilbert. Tyler sipped at his diet coke trying very hard not to slip into his fantasies about him. He knew Caroline could tell something was bothering him but, thankfully, she had the tact to hold it in until they were alone.

Kelly was in the middle of telling Caroline that she would look cute on Mr. Gilbert's arm when his phone buzzed in his pocket and he sighed inwardly as he saw it was his father. he excused himself from the table and went outside before taking a deep breath and answering softly, "Hello?"

"Tyler," Richard Lockwood said curtly, "your mother and I will be expecting you for dinner this Thursday. Some of my associates from the firm are coming and I want them to meet you. You would be a great asset to the team."

Tyler took another deep breath. "Dad," he began slowly so he wouldn't stutter. "I'm…not interested in working for—for the firm, I've already t-t-told you this."

"You haven't even met them; give them a chance Tyler. Come to dinner Thursday and just talk to them. Plus your mother misses you."

"Fine," Tyler bit out. "I'll be there."

"Good." He hung up without saying anything more. Tyler resisted the urge to throw his phone in the nearby fountain; he _hated_ family dinners with his parents. His mother did her best to keep everything flowing smoothly but the night always ended worse than it started because Richard always had something to say about Tyler's job or his lifestyle or the granddaughter he had yet to meet. The only reason he didn't flat out refuse the invitation was because of his mother; she wasn't the best mother in the world but he still loved her and made a point to see her at least once a month. At least she was more accepting of Katherine; she loved her granddaughter to pieces and loved spoiling her. She constantly worried about Tyler, calling him at least every other day, sometimes twice a day when she was bored and while Tyler appreciated her checking in on them, he felt that she was overbearing. He was 35 for Christ's sake; he didn't need his mother calling him like he was in college.

After a few more moments of reining in his annoyance, he went back into the restaurant, a fake smile plastered on his face that everyone saw through but decided to ignore.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Alright, spill," Caroline said once they both walked out of Katherine's room after putting her to sleep. Tyler sighed, ignoring her question as he went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of iced tea. He couldn't tell her that he was becoming undone by his daughter's teacher, Caroline would take it upon herself to set them up and he could not let that happen. He walked back into the living room where Caroline was sitting with her legs curled under her and a pillow in her lap, looking like she was in a therapy session.

"Tyler," Caroline called warningly. He sighed again before taking a large gulp, "What Caroline?"

"You know what; this whole week, something's been bothering you. I didn't want to press because I thought it would pass but you're starting to worry me. What's wrong?"

He glanced at her over his glass, "W-W-W-What makes you think anything's wr-wr-wr-wrong?"

"Because your stutter is coming out more and you keep sighing. Something's up."

He sighed again, catching her look that said 'what did I tell you?' and he resisted the urge to sigh again as he took a drink. There was silence in the apartment for a while before Tyler sat his glass down and picked up a pillow by his crossed legs on the couch.

"It's…It's nothing," he said finally. "Rebekah is—is just riding my ass again at-at-at work."

"You know, the same thing I said about Kitty at dinner applies to you too; she only picks on you because she wants to sleep with you."

"So you've said," he said dryly but it was no secret around the office that Rebekah wanted Tyler in her bed. Quite frankly, she scared Tyler and even if he were straight, he wouldn't go for her. She was too controlling for his liking.

"Maybe you should file a complaint against her. Some of the things she's said to you are definitely not office appropriate."

"Th-Th-They aren't but I can't complain to her brother about that, he'd f-f-fire me in a heartbeat then—then I really would h-h-have to work for my f-f-f-father," he sighed. He really was debating on telling Klaus; he wasn't allowed to show favoritism but he had no doubt he would try to make his life a living hell. He briefly wondered what Jeremy would say before he shook his head.

"I think you should tell him if she's making you uncomfortable Ty," the blonde said quietly. "I can't imagine you going through something like that and you shouldn't have to. I don't even get why she's still trying to get with you anyways, she knows you're gay; you were with Kol for like ten years!" she huffed. "Do I need to make it clear for her? You know I'd be more than happy to."

Tyler chuckled, "N-No it's okay Caroline but if it gets too bad, I'll let you know. I can handle it for now." He licked his lips and stared down at the pillow for a moment before speaking again, "Could—would you m-m-mind watching Katherine for a bit longer on Th-Th-Thursday? My f-f-f-f—my father is having dinner with the people from—from the firm over and he w-w-wants me t-t-to meet them."

"No problem Ty—wait what?" she asked quickly. "Are you really thinking about working for him?"

"Hell no," he scoffed, "but you know how he gets when—when I d-d-d-don't do what he wants, plus my moth-moth-mother will be there."

"Ah, your mother; you know she called me the other day and we had a two hour talk about you. She's worried about you being lonely since…everything."

"Since when do you talk to my m-m-m-mother?" Tyler questioned narrowing his eyes. He didn't like the idea of Caroline and his mother being friends; they liked to meddle in his life too much, especially his love life.

"Since you started ignoring her calls. She's a bored woman and your dad only has her around to show her off to his colleagues."

"Oh did sh-sh-she tell you that?"

"Why's it a big deal if I talk to your mom? I like her! And she knows that me and you are never getting married or anything like that so I don't see the big deal…unless you'd like to tell me."

Tyler pressed his lips together, "You guys meddle in my non-existent love life too much. Trying to set me up on dates with guys I have no in-in-in-interest in isn't going to help my loneliness."

She sighed, "We don't mean to 'meddle' we just…we're worried about you Tyler. You refuse to see a therapist after the Kol incident except for your speech therapist, your work hours are longer, you don't get enough sleep and sometimes I think if I didn't remind you, you wouldn't be eating." She put the pillow back and sat next to him, "I know I get on your nerves with this but as you can tell, I don't really care. So long as me annoying you is making sure you're alright, I'm going to do it; your mother feels the same."

She drew him into a hug and he leaned into her, feeling guilty that he worried everyone so much. He was lonely and he was still hurt by Kol's actions but he believed over time he would get better. Katherine was great and he loved her but she couldn't fill that place in his heart that only a partner could fill. And now he had to start all over; at 35 he thought he was done looking for love, even if it wasn't perfect. Now he had to start over, with baggage.

"I'll-I'll be okay Caroline. Really, you should worry about your love life. I know it hasn't been the gr-gr-gr-greatest since you've started working for me."

"Hey, I don't need a man, I just want for _you_ to get over this whole thing. If I wasn't looking out for you, you would be lost and you know it," she said and he chuckled.

"You're right," he said and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "I'll get th-th-th-there Caroline, it's going to take me some t-t-t-time, but I'll—I'll get back to where I was and—and I won't be s-s-s-so lonely." He said with as much conviction he needed to make his best friend believe him, Jeremy on his mind the whole time.

**Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Good morning Kitty, Mr. Lockwood," Jeremy greeted them, heart sprinting a mile a minute as Tyler smiled at him. He barely heard Kitty's perky, "Morning Mr. Gilbert!" before she scampered off to meet her girls.

"M-M-Morning Mr. Gilbert," Tyler murmured, unable to keep the smile off his face as he finally got to talk to the man he'd been secretly pinning for since he met him. "H-H-How was your weekend?"

"It was great! I mean…I didn't really do anything, so it was relaxing," Jeremy rushed out, trying not to sound as eager as he really was. When he and Tyler first started having their morning conversations he was surprised at how softly Tyler spoke and his stutter, which he found utterly endearing. From their brief conversations he found Tyler to be riveting; he was smart and had a great sense of humor. Jeremy could tell he loved his daughter to pieces and he found that to be one of his top qualities; then again, he had yet to find any faults with this man. He was absolutely and completely perfect.

He had noticed, however, that Tyler never mentioned his wife. Jeremy had looked at Tyler's hands more than once to find a wedding band but he hadn't seen one, which made him wonder if he was wrong in assuming he was married. A part of him wanted to just flat out ask the man but he thought that might be rude and cause their relationship to become awkward.

"That—that sounds nice," Tyler said honestly with his smile; Jeremy felt his insides melting and was about 3.5 seconds from just going out on a limb and asking him out when another parent greeted him and asked to talk to him about something. Jeremy let a groan of frustration slip that Tyler noticed but didn't comment on and righted his glasses on his face.

"Well I've got to go…duty calls," he said with a chuckle and Tyler joined in.

"Y-Y-Yeah I've got to g-g-get going to."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Jeremy asked, immediately berating himself for asking; of course he would! He dropped his daughter off every day. _Stupid Jeremy, he's going to think you're a moron._

"Yeah, of course," Tyler said, smiling wider and Jeremy beamed at him before turning to the red-headed parent, feeling like he was on cloud nine the rest of the day.

* * *

**More reviews means more Jeremy/Tyler sexy time ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well I'm disappointed in the lack of reviews but I really appreciate everyone that did review. I'm expecting a lot of reviews on this one though because things start happening :)**

**Disclaimer: No own**

* * *

Tyler resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall; Thursday night's dinner at his parent's home had come sooner than he wanted and all he wanted to do was be curled up on his plush couch with the girls and Pom-Pom watching a movie. He thought about faking ill so he could leave early but he decided to suck it up and leave the earliest he could.

Most of his father's associates and colleagues were middle-aged men and women with too much money and too much time on their hands. Tyler would have thought that, since being lawyers, they wouldn't have had the time to worry about what was happening in the lives of other's or be planning big, fancy vacations to foreign islands whose names they couldn't even pronounce correctly. He sighed inwardly; the shallowness of the people his parents associated themselves with never ceased to amaze him.

They had just finished eating their salads and were waiting for the main courses when the door opened and two more people walked in. Tyler turned his head slightly from the conversation he was having with an older gentleman about the fluxing stock market in the direction of the door and his heart stopped.

Kol was standing on the edge of the foyer that led into the dining room where they all were holding a woman's hand. Tyler immediately recognized her as the woman he caught Kol in bed with months earlier. His palms started to sweat and his mind started to spin; what the hell was Kol doing here? As far as he knew, Kol was working for a little firm just outside of Queens.

"Ah, the man of the hour!" Richard cried as he stood and embraced Kol, clapping him on the back before embracing the woman. Kol grinned, "Hardly, I couldn't have been that man without you Richard!"

"Nonsense, though I will take credit for those brilliant strategies and that profound argument you used in the Hashton case today," he said as they both laughed, the woman's smile plastered to her face all the while.

Tyler felt sick, as if a horrible joke was being played on him; since when did Kol work for his father? He thought his father hated Kol because he was gay and dating his son but now they looked as if they were best friends. He was so lost in his panicked thoughts that it took four tries of his mother calling his name before he snapped out of it.

"Tyler, honey? Are you alright?" she whispered worriedly. She knew all about Kol's betrayal and looked just as shocked as he felt that he was standing in their dining room.

"I…I think I—I need some air," he spit out finally and planned to sneak out before they noticed him but luck wasn't on his side tonight. He glanced up to see Kol staring back at him, an expression between shock, confusion, regret and fear gracing his face. He blinked twice before turning away to the woman and whispered something in her ear before they moved to be seated somewhere next to his father. Tyler took this opportunity to escape upstairs to his old room, the one place he found sanctuary from his father and the world in general.

He sat heavily on his bed, which they kept even after all these years. He figured his mother would be the one to keep it; she couldn't stand the thought of getting rid of anything that belonged to her son. He placed his elbows on his knees and buried his fingers into his thick, dark hair. Was this the real reason his father invited him over? He _knew_ that Kol had cheated on him and they had split because of it, so was the whole point of Tyler showing up tonight so they could throw it all back in his face? Did his father really expect him to work with the two people who betrayed him and his daughter? He pressed his lips together and squeezed his eyes shut; he never thought his father that cruel but he assumed wrong. He focused on taking deep breaths like Elena taught him for whenever he felt panicked but they weren't working like they usually did. He needed to get out of here; this was a mistake.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and at first, Tyler thought it was his mother coming to check on him. He looked up, preparing to give her his customary 'I'm fine' answer when he found himself staring into Kol's dark, mysterious eyes and his throat closed up completely. Kol shut the door quietly behind him, the tension in the room so thick you'd have to cut it with a butcher knife. Finally Kol broke the silence.

"I saw you walk up here," he started cautiously. Tyler thought the tone appropriate; he wasn't sure what he was feeling or what he was going to do. "Are you alright?"

"What d-d-d-do you want Kol?" Tyler said trying to sound angry but sounding more tired than anything. "Y-Y-Your mistress is downstairs waiting for you."

"Her name is Harper," Kol said as he took a step closer. He seemed at a loss as to what to say next and Tyler couldn't stand to be near him any longer. He stood up, never once glancing at his ex before moving to the door and he had just opened it when Kol's voice rang out, "I'm sorry."

Tyler froze, hand tightening on the doorknob. "Wh-What?"

"I'm sorry…for the way things ended between us," he said and Tyler restrained himself from turning around. "I never meant to hurt you Ty."

"Don't," he said lowly. "Just don't, Kol."

"Tyler—" the door slammed before he finished his sentence.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Tyler jogged down the stairs and dashed past the dining room and the guest who were too wrapped up in each other and too tipsy to care, save his mother who just watched him go sadly, and his father who excused himself from a conversation and followed his son.

Tyler was halfway across the front lawn when he heard his name, "Tyler!"

He bit his lip; besides Kol, the last person he wanted to see was his father. He turned anyways and steeled himself for what was to come.

"Where do you think you're going? Dinner is far from over," he snapped, the alcohol in his system making him a tad meaner than usual.

"Why d-d-did you invite me to-to-tonight and not tell me about Kol?" Tyler demanded. "You know ab-ab-about my history with—with him so why would y-y-you not tell me he w-w-w-worked for you?"

"For God's sake Tyler it happened three months ago! I didn't tell you because you wouldn't have come. Now stop being so sensitive and get back inside!" his father said, a breath away from yelling. Tyler flinched; his father was so insensitive sometimes.

"I'm—I'm not feeling too well so I'm j-j-j-just going to go home. Plus it's—it's a school night for Katherine…"

"Oh right, you have a brat to take care of. Why not put her back in foster care? Obviously it's difficult for you to swing having a child and work too; you could be so much more successful if she wasn't getting in your way."

"I'm already successful, Dad," Tyler bit out. "Katherine has nothing t-t-to do with my work."

"Christ Tyler, she has _everything_ to do with it! Why do you think Kol left you, huh? You and the brat were holding him back. That's why he came to me, because I got him ahead and now he's becoming one of the best lawyers in the state. You have the potential to do so much more than that marketing crap and she's restraining you. She's nothing but a hindrance."

"Don't—don't talk about my daughter like that," Tyler hissed dangerously, his protective parenting instincts kicking in. "She's made me a b-b-better person in ways you—you can't even imagine. You—you don't know a damn thing ab-ab-about her."

"She's made you soft, look at you! You're still stuttering, now you're whining and bitching over a relationship that's been over for months and you're upset because he's at my dinner party? Grow some balls and man up, Tyler!"

Tyler swallowed heavily and his eyes started to burn; his father's verbal abuse always got to him no matter how many times he told himself his words didn't matter. He turned around and started walking to the front gate, relieved when he saw the taxi a little down the street. He ignored his mother calling his name as she ran towards him and hopped in the taxi, telling the driver his address quickly before the cab sped off down the road. He sighed heavily leaning back against the seat and covered his face with both hands; this night had gone from tolerable to horribly wrong all within an hour and all he wanted to do was fall into bed and forget it all.

* * *

The next afternoon, Caroline walked through the campus of Hillmark to pick up Katherine. She barely avoided being mowed down by two sixth graders chasing each other and scowled; Katherine was hyper, but at least she wasn't like _that_. She had gotten there later than usual due to having to take a test for her class but there were still a good amount of children hanging around.

She made it to the playground area where Katherine, Pearl, and Anna usually waited for them and was surprised to see Katherine sitting on a bench with a young man who couldn't have been any older than 24. His somewhat long hair was framing his face nicely and his glasses, Caroline thought, made him look adorable. She fixed the scarf around her neck and her hair, prepared to chat him up and walked over with confidence exuberating off her.

"Katherine!" she called and both their heads turned.

"Hi Caroline!" she said happily as she bounded towards her nanny and wrapped her arms around her. She held the little girl for a moment before letting go and throwing the young man her flirtiest smile, "Hi I'm Caroline, Katherine's nanny."

The man's eyes widened in shock and, for a moment, Caroline wondered how that must have sounded to him. She definitely did not look like nanny material, that was for certain. Usually people associated nannies with being…older.

"Oh! I'm—I'm Jeremy Gilbert, Katherine's teacher," he said standing quickly and shaking her hand. "It's so nice to meet you Caroline."

Caroline looked into his eyes—he had such nice, big brown eyes—and noticed had a perfect nose and nice, red lips. His cheeks had a nice flush to them and from shaking his hand she could feel how soft his skin was and that hair…

She groaned inwardly; this guy had to be gay.

"Teacher? You look so young!" she laughed and he chuckled as well.

"Yeah that's what most tell me; many just mistake me for an assistant," he said and she smiled.

"Well I hear you're the best teacher at the school! Katherine and her friends always come home and tell us how much they love your class."

He blushed and she smiled, he was too adorable! "Thanks," he laughed scratching the back of his head. "I try to keep learning fun, you know? It's the only way kids will remember the things we teach them, I think."

"I couldn't agree more," she smiled. The two of them spent another half hour talking while Katherine ran around on the playground with the remaining kids before Jeremy glanced at his watch and looked at the time. "Oh crap…I have to meet my sister and her boyfriend for dinner but it was really nice meeting you, Caroline."

"You too Mr. Gilbert," she replied, calling out for Katherine.

"It's just Jeremy," he said blushing; Caroline couldn't stop her inner squeal, "Mr. Gilbert makes me sound so old!"

"Alright, Jeremy," she said with a laugh. Katherine bounded over to them and gave the blushing man a hug before grabbing her nanny's hand. Caroline waved goodbye to him and threw him a smile for good measure before walking back to the Lockwood residence.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Damon laughed as Elena told him yet another story about broody Stefan, his laughter mixing in with the rest of the noise coming from the patrons of Flemings and the bar next door.

"My brother," he said shaking his head. "He really needs to loosen up; guy's so serious and he's only 28!"

"I tell him he needs to relax all the time and then he gives me this weird look, like he thinks I've lost my mind," she said taking a sip of her lemonade. "But seriously, he needs a vacation; he hasn't taken one since he started working."

"Agreed. Should we invite him to the Caribbean with us?" he asked jokingly and she snorted.

"Just because he needs a vacation doesn't mean he needs to ruin ours. Plus I'm sure he would say no anyways and make up some excuse."

Damon snorted, "Like he would pass up the opportunity to see you in a bikini."

Jeremy rolled his eyes at them; Elena and Damon had been going out for seven months and now they were planning some trip for a couple weeks to some exotic island. Jeremy had been invited but it was during the time of the parent teacher conferences and he couldn't miss those. Plus he didn't want to go on a vacation where he'd be the third wheel; these dinners Elena insisted he come to once a month were already awkward enough.

His mind wandered back to this afternoon when the mystery of Tyler's wife had finally been solved. He felt relief wash over him in buckets, though he tried to deny it, when he discovered that she was just Katherine's nanny and, from the sounds of it, that's all she would ever be. It still didn't answer the question of whether or not Tyler was gay but he was happy with the knowledge that he wasn't taken. He couldn't stop the hope that spread through him that told him he still possibly had a shot.

"What are you smiling about?" Elena asked him curiously. Jeremy was saved from answering when their food came.

* * *

"So I met Kitty's teacher finally," Caroline said sipping at her tall glass of iced tea. Tyler slowed his hands from cutting his food but didn't look at her.

"N-N-Nice guy huh?"

"Yeah, he's really smart, charming and he's adorable. Those glasses are just too cute on him," she said, watching Tyler carefully.

He swallowed his waffle and hummed, still not looking at her. She smiled at Katherine, who was feeding Pom-Pom bits of her waffle before trying again.

"Yeah he's cute but…I don't think he's my type. He's too…feminine."

Tyler finally looked at her in slight confusion, "W-W-What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think he's…well I have a feeling he might be gay," she stated and Katherine finally looked towards her. "Mr. Gilbert likes boys?"

"Caroline!" Tyler hissed giving her a look. Caroline had the decency to look bashful.

"Don't repeat that Katherine, to _anyone_," she told the girl and she nodded frantically while stuffing her mouth with more waffles. "But you don't get that vibe Ty? You've said you talked to him…"

Tyler couldn't stop the blush that crossed his face, "W-W-Well…I—I mean I don't know…he c-c-c-could be…" he trailed off unconvincingly. He had been wondering for weeks now if Jeremy was possibly gay but for entirely different reasons than Caroline, he was sure.

"I see," Caroline said, grinning mischievously. "You know, I think you and Mr. Gilbert would be a cute couple."

Tyler spat out his waffle and Katherine giggled loudly, Pom-Pom barking in agreement. "What—Why would you th-th-th-think…" he trailed off and this time Caroline saw the blush on his face and she laughed harder.

"Ohh you like him!" Caroline said clapping her hands. Katherine squealed, "Daddy likes my teacher!"

"I—I never said I l-l-liked him!" Tyler protested but the girls were no longer paying attention.

"You didn't need to; it's all over your face! This is why you've been so moody these past few days, because you like him!"

"N-N-Not tr-true!" he sputtered out as Katherine clapped her hands excitedly like Caroline was seconds before, her huge grin making her cheeks the size of a chipmunk's.

"Look Ty, you don't need to lie. It's fine that you have the hots for Mr. Gilbert," Caroline said with a wide smile and Katherine laughed loudly. Tyler sighed; there was no point in denying it now. They wouldn't believe him if he did.

"So when are you asking him out?"

"Wha—I'm not g-g-g-going to ask him out, that's—that's inappropriate!" Tyler cried. "He's Kitty's t-t-teacher!"

"So? There are a lot of parents who date their kid's teachers; you just need to be discrete about it. So when are you asking him out?"

"Caroline I'm not—"

"We need to plan his outfit for when he asks him so he can't say no, not that he will anyways. What do you think Kitty? I think blue or that dark green is definitely your dad's color," she said turning to the excited seven-year-old.

Tyler rolled his eyes with a smile as they got sucked into a conversation about fashion and planning his imaginary outfit for his imaginary date with his daughter's teacher he had no chance with. Once Caroline got started on an idea, it was hard to talk her out of it so he hoped that she wouldn't see Mr. Gilbert again and ambush him.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Daddy, when are you going to ask Mr. Gilbert on a date?" Katherine questioned while walking down a busy street in the city. Tyler sighed; Katherine and Caroline had been bugging him with the same question for the past few weeks and while it was encouraging to know they supported him, he didn't want to make things awkward with Jeremy.

"I'm—I'm not Kit-Kat, stop asking."

"But what if he likes you back?" she asked with big, round eyes. The idea of Mr. Gilbert becoming her new dad excited her so much she was willing to do anything to make it happen. Tyler glanced down at her and sighed at her look.

"No Kitty it's in-inappropriate and you shouldn't be talking about this. What has—has Caroline been telling you?"

"Not much…only that you and Mr. Gilbert have some serious steamy chemistry and you should take a chance because you don't have anything to lose." She wrinkled her nose, "What does serious steamy chemistry mean?"

"I'll tell you when you're older. And don't listen to Caroline, she d-d-d-doesn't know what she's talking about," he sighed again as they stopped to get a hot-dog from a nearby stand. He didn't feel good enough to ask Jeremy out; ever since he discovered Kol's affair what little confidence he did have had been shot to hell. Jeremy deserved someone who didn't have baggage; the man was young and he shouldn't have to know the responsibilities of caring about someone else's child, even though that was what he did for a living.

"But you like him…" she said trailing off, clearly disappointed. Tyler paid for their hot-dogs and the two sat down on a nearby bench side by side.

He gave her a small smile, "Sometimes it can't b-b-be just about that Kit-Kat. I—I have to think ab-ab-about you too. It wouldn't be—be appropriate if I started dating your teacher."

"Says who?" she demanded. "Caroline said people do it all the time and they turn out fine!"

Tyler was at a loss on that one; he cursed Caroline good-naturedly in his head for teaching his daughter not to back down on anything. "W-W-Well…it—it depends on the ci-ci-circumstances…"

"Dad, you like him. And if you like him, you should ask him on a date. Don't be like Taylor and hide how you feel, it doesn't get you anywhere," she said firmly and Tyler chuckled. Katherine was a smart kid; she was also right, as was Caroline. There was no harm in asking Jeremy to go to dinner with him. He had nothing to lose really and he would wonder for the rest of his life what would have happened if he _didn't _ask him. He bit into his hot-dog and made his decision: he was going to ask Jeremy Gilbert out on a date. He just needed the right timing and to gather what little courage he had and just _do_ it.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

The weeks flew by and before Jeremy knew it, it was time for the parent-teacher conferences. The students got an entire week off of school while teacher had the burden of meeting with each parent to talk about their child's progress thus far. Jeremy sighed as the Lourdes left and he glanced down at who was to come in next, his heart doing backflips and summersaults as he saw Katherine's file on his desk. He was going to be alone with her father, a man he had not been able to stop thinking about since he met him and his feelings continued to grow every time he spoke to him. He was comfortable with admitting to himself that he had a big crush on Katherine's father and he was falling more and more for him each day.

_It's okay Jere, just act cool and calm and you'll get through it._ He repeated this mantra to himself for ten minutes when the door opened and his eyes met Tyler's. He smiled and Tyler returned it, making Jeremy swoon inwardly. He couldn't help but subtly check him out: blue, button-down shirt, dark-wash jeans and brown suede shoes, the shirt clinging to his broad shoulders and buff arms making Jeremy drool and his face heat up.

"Mr. Lockwood," he said shyly as he stood and shook the man's hand, relishing in the contact.

"J-J-Just Tyler, Mr. Lockwood is d-d-definitely my f-f-f—my father," he said with a nervous chuckle that Jeremy couldn't help returning.

"Alright Tyler," he murmured, distracted by Tyler licking his lips and opened Katherine's file, his face heating again as he felt Tyler's intense stare on him. He couldn't stop the pleasant shiver that ran down his spine.

Throughout the meeting, Tyler couldn't keep his eyes off of him; his hair was a little long but it went well with him. His glasses framed his face perfectly and Tyler thought they made him look sophisticated and charming. His silky voice washed over him like a pleasant, warm breeze and if he were being completely honest, it turned him on. He kept remembering the pep talk Katherine and Caroline had with him before coming, telling him he had nothing to lose and Jeremy was more than likely going to say yes and if he didn't, it was his loss. They pumped his head up and he felt less nervous about asking Jeremy than he did when he decided weeks ago. Then he walked into the room and saw Jeremy, gorgeous as ever, and the nerves returned tenfold.

When the meeting was over Jeremy smiled and stood to shake his hand. Tyler bit his lip at how soft his skin was and at that moment he knew he couldn't leave without an answer. He smiled nervously, palms slightly damp and before he could stop himself, he blurted, "Would you…ah I—I mean w-w-w-w-would you be interested in-in-in-in a—going on- a-a-out to dinner s-sometime?"

Jeremy stared at him like a deer caught in headlights and Tyler felt his cheeks burning, cursing his stuttering and _fuck_ this was not a good idea; he mashed his lips shut to prevent himself from spewing out more embarrassing, half put-together attempts at asking this angel he had no business being with out to dinner. He lowered his gaze, all the confidence Katherine and Caroline made him feel earlier going out the window and he began thinking of a way to escape this horrifically awkward situation.

"Yeah! I—uh…yeah that—that would be nice," he said softly and Tyler's eyes whipped back up to his face in shock. He said yes? This heavenly being said _yes_ to him? Jeremy was flushing brightly and smiling at him and Tyler's heart melted all over again.

"G-G-Great," he stuttered out, his smile threatening to split his face. Jeremy smiled back at him and Tyler felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: hope.


	5. Chapter 5

**You guys completely wowed me with the reviews from last chapter. Seriously the amount of feedback and encouragement was really inspiring to see and I can't thank you guys enough. I really enjoy knowing what you guys like about the story and a lot of you tell me something you like about each chapter which I really love so keep it up! I want to see what is and isn't working for you guys and I encourage any and all reviews/comments :) after all, this is written for everyone's entertainment, including my own! Keep up the great reviewing!**

**And here is the first date! These next few chapters, including this one, were seriously so much fun to write. It might be a while until I can post them because life threw me some curveballs that I've now got to figure out but I will get the chapters for this story and _Wait for It_ up soon hopefully.**

**I don't know if I mentioned this earlier but Jeremy is 23 and Tyler is 35. Not a huge part of the story, just a fact I'd throw out there.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

"Jeremy calm down!" Elena snapped as Jeremy frantically tore through his closet in search of that perfect outfit for tonight's date. The past week and a half after Tyler asked him on the date had been quite busy for them both, leaving neither of them free until the middle of the next week, though this didn't stop them from talking on the phone every night since then. Jeremy had paced his apartment the day after Tyler asked him out for about two hours, contemplating whether or not he should call the single father when Elena finally grew irritated and told him to just call.

"This is the _first_ date with a guy I thought I'd _never_ have a chance with! Don't tell me to calm down Elena!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes; he didn't tell her much about his date, only that his name was Tyler, he was the father of one of his students and he had, quite unexpectedly, asked him out to dinner. Jeremy had come home shocked and thoroughly surprised but more elated than anything else, so she assumed he was the one Jeremy was pinning over, believing him to be straight.

"Look you're working yourself up too much so just take a deep breath and stop throwing clothes everywhere! Have you actually been looking for an outfit?"

"I don't know what to wear!" he whined and Elena laughed.

"I wish Jenna could see you right now! This is priceless," she said through her laughter.

"Shut-up; don't act like you weren't nervous when you went on your first date with Damon."

"I was nowhere the train wreck you are right now," she chuckled and moved into the room that looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Clothes were strewn every which way, making it nearly impossible to make a trail from the door to the closet. She picked up a deep purple button-down and held it up. "I like this color, how long have you had this?"

"I don't know; I just found it. I didn't think it was mine," he said scratching the back of his neck with a light laugh. She shook her head, "You don't even know what you have in your own closet."

"You can account for every piece of clothing you own?"

"Yep, I keep all my receipts," she said and he rolled his eyes as she threw the shirt and picked up a pair of nice, dark-wash jeans. "So where are you going?"

"I think _Del_ _Posto_." Jeremy said as he bent back down and started rummaging through his last drawer. Elena's eyes widened.

"_Del_ _Posto_? You know how long I've wanted to go there? Who the hell is your date Jere, a stock broker? He must have **big** money to get in there!"

"Actually he's a marketer for Starbucks," Jeremy said coming up and holding a pair of black jeans and a black button down shirt. "What about this?"

"Well you need to introduce us! We could definitely double date. And are you trying to be the grim reaper? Too much black and you're much too pale to be wearing all that," she said waving her hand up and down. She spotted a royal blue shirt on the floor and she picked it up, "This is more you."

He looked at the shirt and nodded once before taking off his grey T-shirt and slipping the blue one on. He bit his lip as he turned to her, "So?"

She nodded her approval and threw him the dark-wash jeans, "Those look good with it. And wear the going-out pair of glasses I bought you! I didn't specifically pick them out for you to keep them in the case!"

"Alright, alright, aren't you supposed to be packing for your two week vacation?"

"Two-and-a-half week actually," she corrected, "and for your information, I'm already packed. There's only a few more things I need to get."

"Well shouldn't you be doing something other than annoying me?" he teased and she swatted his arm.

"Shut-up, you'd be a mess without me right now. What time are you meeting him?"

He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened comically, "At 7, it's 6:05!"

"Better hurry!" she called as he dashed out the room into the bathroom to do something about his hair. Something banged against the cabinets followed by a curse and she laughed, going back to her room.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

In an apartment a few blocks away, Tyler washed off the rest of the shaving cream and took a look at his newly-shaven face. His hair was still damp from his shower and the steam was still clinging to the mirror. He stared at his reflection, scarcely believing that he was going on a date with a man he'd been dreaming about for months. He _still_ couldn't believe that Jeremy said yes to him and when he told Caroline and Katherine they had squealed for ten minutes straight before Caroline declared that they needed to celebrate and treated her family to dinner.

When he exited the bathroom, only wearing black jeans, Caroline and Katherine were still sitting on his bed going through his shirts. He smiled and shook his head; sometimes he felt they were more excited for this date than he was, though he highly doubted it. He was nervous, extremely nervous, but he was happy, so, so happy.

"We need to get you some new shirts Ty; all these look the same," Caroline said wrinkling her nose as she tossed another white shirt up on the bed. Katherine did the same with a shirt she was holding before holding a dark-green silk button-down. "How about this one?" she asked holding it as far as her tiny arms could spread.

"That's perfect Kit-Kat! You should definitely be a fashion designer," Caroline exclaimed as she took the shirt to Tyler. "You're going to look so good, there's no way you aren't getting a second date!"

"Th-Th-Thanks Caroline," he chuckled quietly, taking the shirt and slipping it on. When it was buttoned all the way Caroline made a little squeal before popping off the first three buttons.

"Now you're ready," she said with a smirk. Katherine beamed and rushed to hug her father; words couldn't express how elated she was that she would be getting a new father soon, one that would better than Kol.

"Be g-g-g-good Kitty," he murmured quietly and she nodded vigorously.

"I'm always good! Have fun with Mr. Gilbert!" she chirped and he laughed, giving her a quiet thank you and a kiss on her head.

"Oh, one more thing," Caroline said rummaging through her purse as she pulled out a bag from Macy's. "I got this for you today; it totally reminded me of you."

She pulled out Givenchy's _Play_ cologne and spritzed Tyler three times. He wrinkled his nose as the strong smell hit his nose, "Was th-th-th-that necessary Caroline?"

"Hush, he won't be able to resist you now," she said placing the lid back on and putting it on his hardwood dresser, looking him over once more.

"Now you're really ready," she said and he laughed.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Jeremy cursed New York and all the traffic; of course he couldn't find the glasses Elena wanted him to wear, causing him to leave his apartment at 6:45. Now it was 7:15 and he prayed that Tyler didn't think he was standing him up even though he called and told him he was running late.

Arriving at the restaurant he quickly thrust a $20 at the driver before hopping out and walking as fast as he could through the French double doors. The place was crowded for a Thursday evening and Jeremy had spent at least five minutes looking over the heads of people walking to and from when he spotted a dark-haired man wearing a delicious dark-green shirt; he immediately knew that was Tyler and his feet started walking towards him before he could really decide that was his date.

Thankfully his instincts were right as Tyler spotted him as he was walking over and smiled widely. Jeremy felt himself return it as he made it to the table unscathed and sat down.

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was murder and my cousin Elena didn't want me to leave without wearing the new glasses she bought me," he chuckled, briefly wondering if he sounded lame.

Apparently he didn't because Tyler returned the chuckle and shook his head, "I understand, really. C-C-C-Caroline tore my en-en-entire wardrobe apart looking for a shirt she bought—bought for me last Christmas. She wasn't—wasn't going to let me leave th-th-th-the house without wearing it b-b-b-but I got away with this one."

"It looks good on you," Jeremy said and immediately flushed, looking down shyly. He heard Tyler chuckle, "Thanks…your glasses look gr-gr-gr-great on you, by the way."

Jeremy chuckled and smiled shyly at Tyler. "Thank you."

There was a brief, slightly awkward silence as the two busied themselves with reading their menus, trying not to be caught staring at each other over the tops. A cute waiter came over and took their orders for their drinks (they both ordered champagne) before winking saucily at Tyler and flouncing off. Tyler chuckled and shook his head and Jeremy forced himself to laugh; it wouldn't do to get jealous over some waiter when it was only their first date.

"I m-m-m-must admit…I'm—I'm—I'm a little nervous," Tyler said with a little laugh, biting his lip. Jeremy wanted to kiss him.

"Well that makes two of us. I know we've been talking at school and on the phone for a good while now but now it's…different," Jeremy said with a nervous chuckle of his own.

"My daughter was—was so excited she wanted to come," he said softly and Jeremy's heart skipped a beat; Tyler's voice alone was captivating enough and turning his insides into mush. "I had to tell her maybe another time. She really—really likes you as a teacher."

"Katherine is such a joy to teach; I believe she's one of the only few students I have that finds pure joy in learning," Jeremy said honestly and Tyler gave him a soft smile.

"She's always been like—like that; sh-sh-sh-she wants to study animals, they're her favorite."

"When it comes to animals she's pretty enthusiastic," Jeremy said, thinking of the brown-haired girl and smiling at the thought.

Conversation carried on like this for the rest of the evening; they sent their waiter away twice before actually ordering food because they were so consumed in conversation and hadn't spared the menu a glance. The waiter was put off by Tyler's dismissal which made Jeremy jump for joy internally that he had all of the man's attention. They talked about everything and anything that came to mind; from the private school to Tyler's job, to sports to books they had read to their favorite shows and movies to the places they'd been to what a disappointment modern music had become and then some. Throughout the non-stop conversation, the smiles never seemed to leave their faces and the saucey waiter had passed their table multiple times in order to make conversation with Tyler but he barely spared him a glance; his attention was solely on Jeremy. Eventually the waiter gave up and just let them be, which Jeremy was extremely grateful for. Hours passed before they realized they were a few of the only patrons left in the restaurant.

"W-W-Well I guess we've overstayed our welcome," Tyler laughed as he stood, leaving a generous tip of $10 on the table. Jeremy's body warmed, from the champagne he had consumed or from Tyler in general, he wasn't sure, and he threw another $10 on the table before Tyler took it and handed it to him.

"Now didn't—didn't we just argue about who was paying?" he said with a quiet laugh. "I asked you to dinner s-s-so it's my treat."

"But Tyler you paid for both our meals and this place is not cheap, at least let me leave the tip," Jeremy protested but Tyler shook his head.

"Tell—Tell you what, you can buy us d-d-dessert if you're up to it," Tyler said hopefully; he was having a blast with Jeremy and he didn't want to let him go just yet. He never thought dates could be like this, the last few ones he had usually ending halfway through dinner but Jeremy was kind and funny and smart and he looked _so _adorable when he bit his lip. Tyler wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

Jeremy's face lit up and Tyler sighed inwardly with relief, "Alright, but you choose the place."

Tyler nodded, "Deal."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

By the time Jeremy arrived back to his apartment, it was well past his bedtime and he knew he would have a hell of a time getting up for work tomorrow but he honestly would've stayed out longer if Tyler didn't have a daughter to get back to. Like a perfect gentleman, Tyler had allowed Jeremy to pay for the desserts at a local ice cream shop where they sat outside on the bench long after they had finished their ice creams just to talk, but he paid Jeremy's cab fare back to his apartment. Jeremy had protested heavily before Tyler shushed him and told him that next time he could do the honors (though he knew he wasn't planning on letting Jeremy pay for anything if they were to keep going on dates).

He waved goodnight to Tyler before watching him jog back downstairs to the cab and, with one last smile, driving away. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it softly. He giggled before he could stop himself and leaned against the door in bliss. If he could describe tonight's date in one word, it would be _perfect_. Tyler was…so much more than he could have ever _dreamed_ he wondered if the whole night was a dream because no one could _be_ so wonderful and amazing. He sighed happily and then he laughed at himself.

"I sound like a teenage girl," he laughed quietly to himself before making his way to his room and shutting the door ever so quietly; he had no idea if Elena was still awake and he had no doubt she would barge into his room for details if she heard him. He would be more than happy to tell her though; Tyler was an absolute gentleman.

His phone made a noise that indicated he had a text and he frowned; who would be texting him this late? He pulled it out of his pocket and the dopey smile returned to his face full-force as he read a text from Tyler.

_So since you're so adamant in paying me back does this mean we have a second date? :P_

Jeremy laughed before falling onto his bed and typing back a response.

_I'll have to check my schedule…but I think I can squeeze that in somewhere. :P_

_You better Gilbert, I'm looking forward to it! Goodnight Jeremy :)_

_Haha, goodnight Tyler :)_

Jeremy set his phone on his nightstand and undressed quickly before making his way to the bathroom to wash up. When he finally settled in bed his alarm read 3:03 a.m. This did nothing to remove the smile from his face as he turned off the lights and rolled over.

Yes, he would be tired as hell tomorrow. But tonight? Definitely worth it.

* * *

Thanksgiving break came about a week after the first date and Tyler had become so swamped with work that he barely had time to see his daughter and Caroline let alone Jeremy. He briefly wondered if Rebekah knew he was seeing someone and decided to use work as a way to discourage the relationship but there was no way she could've known, he didn't talk to her unless she asked him a question, which was now a daily occurrence, and he answered with the shortest, most helpful answers possible. He sighed at his desk; at least he had their nightly phone conversations when Katherine was in bed to look forward to.

Thankfully he had from Thanksgiving till the next Monday for a holiday, more than he'd had in a while and he was going to take it and run with it. He wanted to hang out with his girls and take Jeremy out again if he wasn't too busy.

He waved bye to Matt as he started walking down the hall to get to the elevator. He was rounding the corner when he was grabbed by his arm and pulled into a vacant conference room. Hearing the door close behind him he turned to see Rebekah giving him a sickly smile. Tyler smiled back nervously, his heart picking up speed.

"R-R-Rebekah," he said politely, "how can I help—help you?"

She didn't say anything and Tyler thought she didn't hear him. He wondered what the hell was going on before she advanced on him and backed him into a wall, pressing her body against his. Tyler squirmed to get free but the blonde pushed her chest against his in what she believed to be a seductive manner, pressing him further into the wall.

"Tyler," she purred and his stomach churned. "Why do you insist on playing so hard to get?"

He blinked at her, confused, "Wha—What d-d-do you mean?"

"I mean you could be going so much farther in this company," she said, continuing like he never spoke. "You have the potential, the drive to be so much higher than where you are and I can make that happen for you. You just need to give me what I want."

Tyler caught on to what she was implying and he grabbed her arms firmly and pushed her back gently. "Rebekah," he began in a steady voice, "This isn't ap-ap-appropriate."

"See, this is what I'm talking about!" she snapped and Tyler jumped at the sudden hostility. "How can you stand there and say you don't want this? I have the power to make you more than what you are and you deny me?"

"I d-d-don't want to move up this—this way," he said with a steely gaze. "I-I-I need to earn my t-t-title like everyone else."

"What a bunch of shit," she seethed. Then she smirked and grabbed his manhood and squeezed. Tyler let out a startled gasp and Rebekah took this opportunity to shove her tongue into his mouth.

"What the hell is going on in here?" a voice that Tyler recognized as Matt's demanded and he pushed Rebekah off of him firmly this time, not caring that she stumbled back and nearly fell. His eyes were wide and his breathing was harsh and he didn't even look at Matt as he grabbed his briefcase and took off to the elevators. He pushed the button with shaking hands, relieved when one opened seconds after. He hopped in one and the door was almost closed before Matt caught it and slid inside. He pushed the button for the first floor, which led to the café and turned to Tyler.

"So I'm going to buy you a coffee and you're going to tell me how long this has been happening."

"Matt I c-c-can't—" Tyler started but Matt shook his head.

"No Tyler, I'm serious, that was not okay. And since I walked in on it, I'm involved now. We need to figure out how we're going to tell the boss-man that his sister is a man-eating harlot."

Despite the situation, Tyler chuckled and nodded, getting off at the first floor.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"So how was it? I want details!" Elena demanded as she and Jeremy sat at _Masa_ Sushi Bar on the eve of her departure.

Jeremy laughed and sipped at his Coke, "We didn't have sex, if those are the detail you're looking for."

"Damn, and here I thought it would be something exciting," she joked and they laughed as he shoved her playfully.

"Honestly, he's amazing Elena," he gushed, not caring how he sounded. "It was probably the best date I ever went on and all we did was dinner and ice cream."

"Really? You didn't get home until three last night! You guys didn't go clubbing or something?"

"You know how I feel about clubbing," he said pointedly. "And no, we just sat at the restaurant and talked for hours and hours—we have the same favorite TV show and we both had two dogs when we were younger." He got a dreamy look in his eyes.

She laughed, "Jeez Jere, you're completely whipped already."

"He's so kind and sincere Elena; I want you to meet him. And his daughter, she's so adorable, you would love her.

"So is there a second date coming up?" she questioned and Jeremy lit up, nodding quickly.

"Hopefully sometime this weekend; he's been getting swamped with work by his bitchy boss."

"Did he say that?"

"No but she sounds like one"

"Already pissy because work is keeping your lover away?"

She laughed as he shoved her again. Then she sobered up and looked at him seriously, "So you're okay with him having a kid?"

"Yeah, Katherine is so sweet, you would adore her. She kind of looks like you when you were younger.

"Is she…is she his child by birth?"

"No, she's adopted." He frowned, "Is it weird he hasn't really mentioned her other father to me yet? I mean we've only been talking for a couple weeks but isn't that something he should've brought up by now?"

She sipped her martini thoughtfully, "Maybe. There's probably a good reason why he hasn't. You said that he always drops her off at school and her nanny picks her up so the other father must not be in the picture at all. And on the school file, you said it just mentions him as the sole parent, right?"

"Right," Jeremy hummed in thought. Maybe the other father died? Jeremy really hoped that wasn't the case because not only would that be awful, he would be grateful that they were gone so he could get to know Tyler and he would feel extremely guilty at the thought.

"That's probably something you guys will discuss later. He sounds like a total gentleman and he is definitely interested in you. You guys will have that painful past-boyfriend talk soon enough."

He gave her a small smile and took another bite of his roll. He was sorely curious about Tyler's past with Katherine's other father but he would find out when the time was right.

* * *

**:) reviews are love!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews! You guys rock! :) And because you guys rock, I've put a lot of stuff in this chapter, so enjoy! :)**

**Side note: A couple of weeks have passed from their first date. that took place in mid-November and now its like mid-December.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

* * *

Jeremy laughed heartily as Tyler explained a story about Caroline and a horrible date gone worse where he had to intervene. It was a Saturday morning in mid-December and the two were having breakfast in a small café near Central Park; the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the park was covered in ornaments and tinsel, making Central Park alive with Christmas cheer. Jeremy had said that he wanted Starbucks and laughingly changed his mind when Tyler made a face; he had mentioned once before they started dating that he tried to avoid Starbucks when he could help it because he wound up having it at least once a day except for his days off.

"That's awful! At least he grabbed the tab right?" Jeremy chortled and Tyler laughed.

"Now why after—after everything he already p-p-pulled would he do that? I believe the bartender gave her a p-p-pass in exchange for her number; she went out with him the n-n-next week." He shook his head, "Caroline knows how to—to pick them."

"Good thing you were there to pose as _the_ Mr. Lockwood," Jeremy snickered. "I wish I could have seen the look on the guy's face when you told him she was your wife!"

Tyler chuckled, "He looked r-r-ready to piss himself; I t-t-told him I was going to s-sue for everything he owned, in-including his retirement. It—It was mean…but he left her alone."

Jeremy shook his head; he had gotten to know Caroline pretty well these past few weeks since she would come to pick Katherine up from school, and from what the blonde said about dating, she'd had _plenty_ of experience; Jeremy suggested she write a book.

"That would be the strangest book ever written," she had joked. "Be lucky you haven't dated nearly as long as I have; seriously, way too many horror stories than good ones. Why do you think I'm still single?"

Jeremy and Tyler finished their coffees and pastries and decided to walk in the park. It was particularly cold this morning though it was almost 11, and Jeremy wrapped his scarf tighter around himself to keep his neck warm. Tyler was watching him and grabbed his gloved hand with his own, linking their fingers together immediately and Jeremy smiled.

They weren't considering this a date, though Tyler had paid once again. Jeremy had long since stopped protesting, knowing that it was falling on deaf ears; Tyler hadn't let him pay for anything for the past three dates they went on (they actually had a real argument over it after the third date) but made up for it by explaining to Jeremy that his mother had taught him to pay for everything when he was courting someone. Jeremy's heart fluttered and his insides melted at the word _courting_ and promptly shut-up about paying for anything.

Things were going so wonderfully with Tyler that Jeremy couldn't believe it; he had _never_ been this lucky when it came to relationships. Sure, Tyler had a daughter and baggage but he couldn't find one deal-breaker in the five dates they had been on, his feelings growing deeper and deeper. He was starting to fall in love with the single father and while they still hadn't mentioned their past lovers or anything to, _to_ serious, he was hoping Tyler felt the same way about him and he would want to take their relationship to the next level soon.

They launched into a conversation about Starbucks compared to other cafes and Tyler wound up telling Jeremy what had happened with Rebekah and Matt a couple weeks ago. He had told Matt that the head boss's sister had started making suggestive comments and passes at him that made him uncomfortable but it wasn't harming. When Matt walked in was the only time Rebekah had actually touched him. Matt was furious that she would do something like that and insisted that Tyler report her. He left stating he would think about it and didn't plan on speaking of it again, until Caroline wormed it out of him. It was nearly comical how angry Caroline had been, spitting out death threats and coming up with full-blown plans to get Rebekah fired or at least demoted to working in the café. Matt and Caroline's combined badgering finally pushed Tyler to file a complaint to Klaus. He was terrified that he would lose his job; the man tended to favor his sister around the office, why should this be any different? But Matt told him repeatedly that he couldn't let Rebekah get away with it again and had to stop her before she made more passes at him or onto another poor, unsuspecting soul. He also changed his hours, working ten hours five days a week in order to have his weekends free for his family and Jeremy rather than spend more time at the office with Rebekah.

When Tyler finished his story Jeremy felt anger seethe through him, "That's awful Ty! I'm glad you reported her though; she shouldn't be allowed to get away with that! I knew there was a reason she was trying to keep you late all the time."

"I thought she had figured out I was seeing someone and was trying to keep me away from them," he chuckled and Jeremy chuckled too until he thought about what Tyler said. His smile froze on his face, _seeing someone?_ Did that mean they were seeing each other exclusively? He felt like he should've known the answer and he bit his lip; should he ask? Would that be assuming too much? Is that what Tyler wanted, for them to be exclusive? What would happen if it wasn't?

"Jere," Tyler said softly and Jeremy jumped out of his thoughts, "Y-Yeah?"

"You okay? You looked like you sp-sp-spaced out on me," he asked with a small laugh.

"No—yeah sorry, I'm fine," he said with a laugh and scratched the back of his neck.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, grabbing the other man's arm gently. Jeremy shivered at the touch; the most he and Tyler had done so far was hold hands, which was perfectly fine with him because he wasn't ready to go further just yet. But every time Tyler held his hand or brushed his knee with his or touched him in some way, his skin felt like it was burning; a slow, pleasant burn.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" he asked just as softly, noticing that Tyler had guided them off to the side so they weren't in the way of joggers or bicyclists.

"B-B-Because whenever you get shy or embarrassed about something you sc-sc-sc-scratch the back of your neck and look down or you b-b-bite your lip," he answered. Jeremy stared at him slightly surprised before biting his lip and looking down. "You can—can ask me anything Jeremy, its o-okay."

"It's going to sound stupid," he said with a small laugh, "but you said that you were seeing someone and I…I just wanted to know if you meant that we…if you wanted to be exclusive or something…." he trailed off uncertainly, keeping his gaze down and Tyler smiled gently. In his mind they were basically together; he just wanted to wait until the other man brought it up.

"Hey, th-that's not stupid," he said grabbing his other, gloved hand, "you are the—the only one I'm seeing, the only one I _w-want_ to see," Tyler said and Jeremy finally looked at him again. "I really, r-really like you Jere and I want our relationship to—to go to the next level, if you're okay w-w-with that too."

Jeremy nodded frantically and Tyler laughed at his blush, "S-So I guess I sh-sh-sh-should ask…will you—you be my boyfriend, Jeremy Gilbert?" he fluttered his eyelashes playfully and it was Jeremy's turn to laugh.

"Yes," he sighed happily, shivering when Tyler wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing his temple gently. Jeremy pulled back, arms still around Tyler's shoulders and he noticed that Tyler was about an inch taller than him up close and that Tyler's face was leaning in closer and he felt his neck tipping up slightly and their lips almost touched…

"DADDY!" Katherine's loud voice made them jump apart, though they were still in each other's arms. Katherine's little body barreled into her father and he laughed as he picked her up and swung her around in a circle. Katherine's loud laugh was contagious and Jeremy laughed, watching them with a longing expression.

"I tried to keep her on the other side," Caroline panted as she caught up to them, putting her hands on her knees. "But Tyler's like a magnet; once she sees him she comes flying."

"It's alright, that's her dad," Jeremy said, his wistful expression never leaving the father and daughter. He hoped that once Katherine got used to him being around more that she would be that excited to see him as well.

"So you two were looking pretty cozy," Caroline said slyly and Jeremy laughed; Caroline reminded him so much of Elena he wondered if they had met.

"We were just taking a walk, O dating expert," he said.

"Whatever, I know an almost-kiss when I see one," she huffed and he laughed again, shaking his head.

"Katherine wants—wants to go to the zoo," Tyler said and Caroline laughed. "That will make the second time this month already!"

"But I like the zoo, the people there are nice and the animals are really cool!" she said happily. Then she walked to Jeremy and grabbed his hand, "Will you come too, Mr. Gilbert?"

He glanced at Tyler who smiled and nodded and he smiled at his student, "Of course, I like the zoo too!"

The smile she gave him would stay with him for the rest of his life.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"S-Sorry about this," Tyler said with a slight laugh when Caroline and Katherine had run ahead of them to see the penguins. Jeremy shook his head and laughed.

"It's alright, Ty. Katherine is so energetic you can't help but want to be around her."

"If—if she's this energetic in high-school I'm going to have p-p-problems," he said laughing and Jeremy joined in.

"She'll be fine," Jeremy murmured and in a sudden burst of boldness he gently grabbed Tyler's hand and shyly laced their finger's together. Tyler grinned at him and squeezed his hand. So far, Tyler had been the one to initiate most of the touches; most would find Jeremy's shyness to be a turn off but Tyler thought it made him sexy. But he was glad that Jeremy was starting to be more comfortable around him.

Caroline and Katherine came running out five minutes later and Katherine immediately ran to Jeremy, tugging on his hand that wasn't holding Tyler's, "We have to see the lions!"

He laughed and stood, pulling Tyler with him, "Alright, Kitty, lead the way." He allowed himself to be pulled to the lion exhibit where he put Katherine on his shoulders as she chatted with him, quite happily, about the lions, the tigers and her favorite, the dolphins. Tyler and Caroline stood back a bit, watching them interact with huge smiles.

"I think he's a definite keeper," Caroline said as she watched her charge and her teacher interact so well, almost as if Jeremy was her father.

"I asked him to be my boyfriend before you guys came," Tyler murmured, eyes never leaving Jeremy and Katherine. "He said yes."

"I knew you guys were about to kiss!" she exclaimed and laughed when Tyler shot her a look and rolled his eyes. "But I'm really, really, really, _really_ happy for you Ty. You deserve this, you really do. Katherine already loves him and I can tell he loves her just as much. The three of you will be good together."

In the back of his mind, Tyler worried that he was going to fast with this; he had only just asked Jeremy to see him exclusively and not three hours later they were at the zoo hanging out with his daughter and Caroline. He knew Jeremy talked to Caroline on a daily bases because she picked Katherine up from school and Katherine was his student but seeing them outside of school like this was completely different. Yet Jeremy seemed completely comfortable with hanging out so casually with his family; in fact he looked as if he _belonged _here with them. His heart warmed as he watched Jeremy take her hand and point at something in the lion's cage; he wondered if Jeremy wanted to be a part of their family too. He hoped that Jeremy would continue to want to spend time with not only him, but his daughter as well because looking at Jeremy right now, he could see them being together for a long, _long_ time.

* * *

After the zoo the four went out for dinner before Caroline treated them all to smoothies. She told Tyler and Jeremy that she and Katherine had a girl's night planned and they would see Tyler tomorrow. Tyler appreciated Caroline's subtly at giving them alone time so they could talk.

"Was—Was today too much?" Tyler asked uncertainly and Jeremy looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I—I mean with K-K-K-Katherine and Caroline at-at-at the zoo; I didn't…expect them t-t-t-to show up and—and I'm sorry if you felt like I forced you into c-c-c-coming with us today."

Tyler looked down at the speckled table, no longer able to meet Jeremy eyes but he met the other man's once again when he felt a hand cover his.

"Ty," Jeremy said softly, "today was great. I had a lot of fun, really! Katherine is great to be around and so is Caroline. I can see why she's her nanny, they're exactly the same."

"I hope not," Tyler chuckled, smiling gratefully. "I don't want—want K-Katherine to have C-C-Caroline's dating track record."

They both laughed at that. Jeremy hadn't removed his hand from Tyler's yet and the older man was enjoying the warmth radiating off of it.

"What happened to her other father?" Jeremy asked quietly after a few moments of silence while he sipped his smoothie, eyes gazing tenderly. Tyler sighed and was silent for a moment and Jeremy's heart sank; he knew there was a good reason Tyler hadn't brought him up yet and he couldn't leave it alone.

"His name is Kol," he began quietly and Jeremy sensed the pain in his voice. He steeled himself for what was to happen.

"He…I met him when—when I was at NYU. Our m-m-m-mutual friend, Amy introduced us and we h-h-hit it off immediately. He was—was so genuine and nice and he—he didn't mind the stutter…I thought he was perfect," Tyler laughed, shaking his head. "We started dating for a while before we became official and for the first couple of years was perfect. Then we started talking about children and we both—or at—at least he said he d-d-did—wanted a little girl. Getting Katherine was—was really hard for us because th-th-they had a problem with our…lifestyle and thought we w-w-w-we're unfit to care for a child. It really took a strain on—on us and we began fighting a lot."

"Caroline was th-th-the last social worker we went to and she—she really came through for us. She f-f-f-f—she found Katherine in a little village in Hungary and b-b-brought her here for us. She knew some—some English already and it-it didn't take her long to adapt to us," he paused and smiled as he thought about his little girl.

"After—After Caroline found her she quit her job; said that she couldn't stand the—the way we were treated. I didn't see her again until t-t-two months later when—when I ran into her at a hot-dog stand in the p-p-park with Katherine. I offered for her to-to-to be Katherine's full-time nanny since me and—and Kol had full time jobs and she agreed."

"One day I had—had Caroline take Katherine for the day and—and night so Kol and I c-c-c-could have some alone time. He'd been acting…different lately and I wanted—wanted to see what was wrong and just sp-spend time with him because I—I missed him. I got off work early and went and—and bought flowers to s-s-surprise him. When…when I got there I noticed something wasn't—wasn't right; there were c-c-clothes everywhere and it didn't hit me until—until I walked in on him with that woman in our bed why he'd been so—so distant. He tried to tell me it wasn't what it—it looked like but I'd just dropped the—the flowers and ran out. Katherine and—and I stayed with Caroline that night and I k-k-k-kicked him out the next day. I sold the ap-ap-apartment within the month and we m-m-moved closer to Hillmark."

Tyler finished his tale staring unseeingly at the bubble-gum pink wall. Jeremy's eyes were wide and he squeezed Tyler's hand, which he hadn't moved, in comfort. He couldn't believe that someone would do that to Tyler of all people; his heart ached as a picture came unbidden to his mind of a smartly dressed Tyler holding a dozen roses hoping to surprise his lover and being greeted with the sight of his partner in bed with another woman. The thought made him sick.

"Have you seen him since then?" Jeremy asked and Tyler nodded. He didn't know why he was surprised but he expected Tyler to keep his daughter away from him.

"At my—my father's dinner party a couple months ago; apparently after I kicked him out he went to work for my father at his law f-f-firm. My f-f-father hated him at first because we were together but when I saw him again—with th-th-the woman I caught him with—they were like best friends. It makes—makes me sick because he can't even m-m-make time to see his own daughter but he can run—run around town doing business with my father who—who hated him until he started sleeping with his receptionist." Tyler shook his head and ran a hand through his black hair. Jeremy licked his lips and sighed, not knowing what to say to make the situation better.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Ty," he said and Tyler gave him a small smile.

"It's—it's alright; it was h-h-hard at first but—but I think we're okay now," he said looking right at Jeremy who blushed and looked down. "So what about—about you? Any horrible p-p-past boyfriends?"

Jeremy looked down, having an internal battle with himself. Of course Tyler would ask; it was only fair. But still…he shook his head; Tyler was his boyfriend, he had a right to know about his past, no matter how ashamed of it he was.

"My first boyfriend, my…_only_ boyfriend," Jeremy began, laughing a little deprecatingly, "was one of those football meatheads I always had a crush on but thought I'd never have a chance with. His name was Corey Michels and he was really nice to everyone; whenever the jocks made a hobby of beating me senseless, which was quite a lot since I was openly gay and openly into art so that automatically made me the school's faggot, he would always defend me. Well we had a math class together and he asked me if I could tutor him after his practices and I agreed. I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible and…I don't know, just get him to notice me, I guess."

"Once I had been tutoring him for a while, he wanted to spend time outside of that and one day he kissed me and told me he had feelings for me. I was so excited that a guy actually liked me back and it was _the_ guy I wanted for so long. I thought that it was perfect, that life was actually getting better for me. We dated for about two weeks before he asked me to be his boyfriend and I said yes. I thought everything was going to get better from then on because my bullies had finally left me alone after they saw how close we were but I couldn't have been more wrong." Jeremy took a breath at this and licked his lips, preparing for the darker part of his story.

"Five months into the relationship we started arguing a lot and I didn't really give it much thought because he had practice and he was taking hard classes like I was, so I just thought the stress was getting to him. Spring break came around and it got worse; he was always drinking and starting arguments and telling me how worthless and pathetic I was but then he'd say he was sorry and he'd never do it again and, me being so in love with him, I believed him. It started getting worse and after a while I started believing him when he told me things like 'I wasn't good enough' or 'No one would date a pathetic freak like you' or 'I'm only with you because I feel sorry for you'." He paused biting his lip and Tyler gritted his teeth; if he had the tools to track this bastard down he would have and inflicted all kinds of torture on him. He linked their hands and the shy man smiled gratefully.

"My first time with him was…well it was the opposite of amazing," he laughed in that tone again and Tyler squeezed his hand. "He was really rough so it hurt for me; he made sure he got off but he didn't care about my needs at all. I thought that if that's how sex was then I never wanted to do it again. He would always ask but I would refuse him and it pissed him off but I was scared. Then one night he had been drinking heavily; he wanted it and I said no but unlike the other times…he didn't back off. He started kissing me and forcing his hand down my pants and I pushed him away, asking him to stop but he wouldn't listen…I'm sure you can guess what happened next," he shook his head and Tyler's rage grew. How _dare_ someone hurt this beautiful, amazing man? His jaw set as he kept from growling.

"It hurt that it wasn't that amazing and magical moment where you really connect with someone, which I guess I was expecting because that's how Jenna and Elena described it and I—I thought he really loved me…but it was just…" he looked away and Tyler could see his eyes were shining. One tear slid down his cheek and Tyler leaned over the table and wiped it away unconsciously.

Jeremy shook his head again and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry," he gave a little, humorless laugh. "I didn't mean to unload all of that on you. It was in the past, it should stay there."

"It hurt you, _he _hurt you," Tyler murmured soothingly, "you have a right t-t-to talk about it."

He was quiet for a moment. "He's pretty much the reason why I've been alone all this time; I'm scared to end up in that situation again." He stared at their linked fingers, "You're the first person I've really trusted in a long time."

The smile Tyler gave him made his heart tremble. No more words were said as they held hands across the table and sipped their smoothies, their smiles speaking for themselves.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

By the time they left the smoothie shop, it was snowing outside. Jeremy shivered and Tyler immediately wrapped his arm around him. He smiled gratefully and nuzzled his nose in the crook of Tyler's neck as they walked the two blocks to Jeremy's apartment in silence, just content to be close to each other.

They made it to the building, covered lightly in snow and Tyler walked Jeremy to the apartment he shared with his cousin on the second floor, never unwrapping from the other man. They stopped at the door and Jeremy sighed before untangling himself, already missing the warmth of the other man near him.

"Thanks…for today. I really did have fun Ty," Jeremy said softly. Tyler smiled and nodded.

"Thank _you_ for putting up with th-th-the zoo. Katherine would live there if she could, I swear. It—it's her favorite place besides the park and school."

Jeremy chuckled, "She's a bright kid. She's like her father." He smiled shyly, unconsciously moving closer to him.

Tyler grinned, taking a step closer as well, "I think she really likes learning because she's got this really—really great teacher."

Jeremy blushed, add to his already red cheeks and Tyler couldn't resist raising his hand to stroke it gently. He stepped closer until they he could see the snowflakes on Jeremy's lashes and his head told him to go for it.

Jeremy's heart thumped hard in his chest as Tyler's face came closer; he felt his head leaning up slightly until finally, _finally_, their lips met for the first time. Jeremy immediately grabbed Tyler's shoulders while the single father's arms went around his waist, clutching his shirt on his back. Jeremy's hands moved from his shoulder's to cup his face as Tyler's tongue darted out and traced along the seam of his lips. Jeremy opened his mouth, allowing entry and sighing as their tongues met. They dueled briefly before Tyler's won and he held Jeremy closer to him as he traced every angle of his mouth. When air became a necessity they broke apart breathing heavily and their shining eyes staring at one another before they both moved in simultaneously and their lips met again, this time with more fiery passion. Tyler pushed Jeremy against the door and Jeremy tugged his closer by the lapels of his jacket.

Jeremy was in heaven as Tyler's tongue touched his for the second time that night. He'd dreamed of this moment since he first saw the bronze beauty and he couldn't believe it was finally happening. There was no way he was letting Tyler go tonight, not after this. He pulled back slightly, their lips barely touching slightly and looked into deep, chocolate orbs.

"Would you like to come in?" Jeremy asked breathlessly, hands still gripping the lapels of his jacket tightly.

Tyler smiled and nodded before kissing him again while grabbing the keys out of Jeremy's hand. Jeremy moaned and moved his lips to Tyler's neck, kissing and nipping at the skin while Tyler did his best to focus on getting the key into the lock. He finally stuck it in and turned, the lock thankfully turning without a problem. Jeremy's tongue traced along a tendon in his neck and he moaned lightly; he brought their lips back together heatedly as he found the doorknob and pushed, never breaking the kiss as they stepped inside and he shut the door behind them.

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**More reviews means more hot, steamy Tyler/Jeremy love scenes ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to all that reviewed and who are keeping this story alive :) and to those who read and don't review (you should, I don't bite!) thank you as well! And check out my other story Wait For It, and my Jyler one-shot too; they could use some love!**

**THE SMUT BEGINS HERE! I know you guys are excited for that ;) They're relationship might seem like it's moving way faster now but that's because I've been skipping time, so keep that in mind. If I wrote about every singe date and event they did we'd never see the smut! They've been on five dates and they've talked almost everyday since they met, so keep that in mind too :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own :(**

* * *

Tyler awoke to a warm body pressed against him and he couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face as he remembered what took place the night before. Jeremy mumbled something next to his ear and tightened his hold around him. His smile widened; Jeremy did look like the type to love cuddling. He couldn't deny that he did too.

Last night after Jeremy invited him in he had told him he was alright with Tyler staying the night since Elena was on vacation. Tyler didn't want to seem overeager and started to decline the invite but Jeremy had pounced on him and thought of going home left him instantly. He grinned; their intensely passionate make-out session had gone on for what felt like _hours_ before they fell asleep in each other's arms. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so turned on just by kissing and heavy petting. The most clothing that came off was their shirts due to what Jeremy had shared earlier with him and the single father, not wanting to stir up memories for him, had let Jeremy set the pace and was comfortable with taking it as slow as he needed. To him, their relationship was about the emotional connection they had; the physical aspects would just be a nice bonus.

Tyler mused on that for a while; never had he felt so in tune with someone before. He felt that he and Jeremy had Caroline's so-called _serious steamy chemistry_ times ten; he had never felt closer to someone than he felt to Jeremy and they didn't even need sex to gain that connection. Just talking to him, simply _being_ with him brought a sense of peace and wholeness to him that he never felt with his previous partners, even Kol; his relationship with Jeremy was different from any he had before, that he knew for sure. It was stronger, more stable; it was more fulfilling, yet he couldn't get enough of the other man. If he could, he would keep Jeremy around him at all times; the man's positive energy and shy demeanor turned Tyler on so much it drove him crazy. But he couldn't help it; there was something about Jeremy that had him hooked and he was more than happy to hang on. He was falling in love, hell he thought he was in love already, but decided to keep that to himself for now. They had become official, re-opened old wounds, had their first kiss and their first sleepover all in one day; his confession of love could wait a while; his feelings definitely wouldn't be changing anytime soon.

He turned over in Jeremy's embrace and kissed him gently; he could _seriously_ get used to waking up to this beautiful man every day for the rest of his life. The thought made Tyler's heart leap in his chest and he wondered what Jeremy would think of the idea; forever sounded pretty good to him.

Jeremy cracked one eye open and quickly closed it, trying to go back to sleep but Tyler wouldn't let him. He caressed Jeremy's cheek before letting his hand trail down to his neck and guiding his lips to his for a morning kiss. Jeremy moaned in protest to the kiss before pulling back slightly.

"I have morning breath," he whined and Tyler laughed, pecking him quickly for good measure.

"You're fine," he murmured before kissing him again, this kiss slow and passionate like the ones from the previous night. Jeremy gave in this time and smiled into the kiss. "Morning," he breathed, eyes shining with happiness.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked quietly, his hand gently massaging Jeremy's neck.

"Really good with you here," Jeremy said with a blush. Tyler couldn't resist from kissing his nose.

"Me too," he admitted and it was true; he slept better than he had these past few months. He smirked, "You're a huge cuddler."

"You're comfy," Jeremy said with a shrug and Tyler laughed before rolling on top of him and kissing him slowly, enjoying the feel of Jeremy's fingertips trailing lightly down his back through his tank top. One hand stroked Jeremy's cheek and the other gripped the pillow he was laying on tightly. He felt himself becoming aroused quickly; Jeremy made him feel like a teenager. Jeremy's hands trailed down his sides and he shivered in response. He could feel the other man smile into the kiss before he pulled back, catching his breath.

"Sh-Shower?" Tyler questioned and Jeremy chuckled.

"Sounds good."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Jeremy decided that showers with Tyler could only be described as erotic. He never knew what the hype was about but he could _definitely_ get used to them with this man. They had kissed and teased each other endlessly, Jeremy finding himself pinned against the tiled wall with Tyler's mouth attached to his own or his neck most of the time. He was sure his neck looked like he'd been choked; Tyler's looked no better with red marks and darker bruises starting to appear on his neck and chest. He was thankful as well as frustrated that Tyler kept his hands above his waist; he was painfully hard, as he knew the other man was, but he wasn't ready to jump into a serious physical relationship just yet, especially with someone he was really falling for. The last time he gave himself to someone he wound up hurt and even though it happened years ago the scars remained. He wanted to go slower this time around and be sure that he was secure in the relationship before doing anything more and he was happy that Tyler respected him enough to allow that.

But he still had needs, needs that he really needed to take care of right now and the longer Tyler touched and kissed him the worse it became. He unconsciously thrust his hips against Tyler's as he sensually washed his chest and the older man groaned before grabbing Jeremy's hands and raising his arms and pinning them above his head, breaking the kiss.

"If you keep doing that, this—this will go a lot farther than you're ready for," Tyler murmured huskily and Jeremy shivered at the tone. He kept his eyes locked with Tyler's as he thrust his hips again, smiling when Tyler's eyes rolled in the back of his head and he bit his lip hard. He reached out and kissed Tyler again before wrapping his legs around his waist, Tyler's weight automatically moving to hold him against the wall, and moving his hips in a circular motion, reveling in Tyler groaning in his ear.

"God Jere," he moaned, trying hard not to thrust back, wanting Jeremy to be as comfortable as possible but _damn_ it felt so good. Jeremy kissed and licked his way from his collar bone to his ear and nipped lightly.

"It's okay Ty," he moaned over the rushing water falling on them. He pulled back and gazed into his eyes, letting him see that he was alright with this. Tyler's hands tightened their hold on his against the wall as he started meeting Jeremy's hips with his own, trying to hold back as much as he could so as not to scare the other man. Their foreheads touched as lips met again in fiery renewal and Jeremy whimpered as his hips sped up and he neared release, their moans and cries mingling in with the warm water.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"My water bill is going to be so high this month; Elena's going to kill me," Jeremy said as he turned off the water and shook his head, water flying everywhere.

Tyler laughed and grabbed a large, plush towel from the cabinet Jeremy directed him to, "Just—just think of the reason it's so high and you'll feel b-b-better."

"Well I can't tell my cousin why we're paying so much; she'll say that wasting water with my extremely sexy boyfriend is no excuse."

"Oh I'm sure she'll—she'll find it in her to understand," Tyler laughed as he grabbed Jeremy around the waist and kissed him passionately.

"Jeremy?" Elena's voice called and the door opened before the bathroom door swung open. Jeremy let out a startled cry as Tyler quickly raised the towel to cover them while Elena let out a surprised cry of her own, "I'm sorry! I wanted to surprise you and I didn't know you had someone—Tyler?" she exclaimed as she did a double take of who exactly was commando with her cousin. Jeremy spotted Damon behind her smirking in pure amusement and he groaned inwardly.

"Elena?" Tyler questioned, confusion etched clearly on his face and trying hard to ignore the man raising his crazy eyebrows behind her. "What—are you—?"

"This is the Tyler you've been seeing?" she asked Jeremy, her eyes popping out of her sockets. Jeremy looked between them, frowning.

"Yeah…how do you two know each other?"

"She's my speech therapist…she's—she's your cousin?" Tyler asked. He figured it made sense; Elena told him she was going on vacation around the time when Jeremy had said his cousin Elena would be gone to some island with her boyfriend.

"Oh my god," Elena muttered, covering her eyes and backing out of the doorway. "You two are going to get dressed and we're going to talk about this." She left the room, muttering things to herself, dragging her suitcases to her room. Damon wiggled his eyebrows and smirked at Jeremy laughing before following her. Jeremy stared at her vacant spot in disbelief while Tyler ran a hand through his damp hair and exhaled slowly. Neither of them said anything for a moment then Jeremy turned to him.

"Well…we got the awkward meeting with my cousin and her boyfriend over with," he said with a small smile. Tyler couldn't help but chuckle.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"I guess I should've seen this coming; he mentioned a Katherine being your daughter but I didn't even think about her being _your_ daughter," she said as she sipped at her tea. Tyler hummed and drank from his coffee. He couldn't tell but Elena didn't look as mad as he thought she would be. The man with the crazy eyebrows—Tyler found out he was Elena's boyfriend, Damon—never stopped smirking and it was starting to irritate him.

"I—I didn't know _you_ were Cousin Elena," he said with a quiet laugh and she smiled. "Well I've—I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," she said. "He wouldn't stop talking about you after the first date. I'm surprised I didn't figure it out before today."

Jeremy blushed heavily as Damon laughed and Tyler shot him an unreadable look. "Elena was that necessary?" he moaned and she laughed.

"Well it's true! You looked so dazed and happy you would've thought you won the lottery!"

"Shut-up," he muttered; he didn't want Tyler to know just how much of an effect he had on him.

"Well in any case, I'm happy for the both of you and yes, Tyler, I will still be your therapist so don't worry. I only ask that if you two are fighting that you don't involve me because I _hate_ that caught-in-the-middle messenger bullshit."

"Unless it's Stefan and Damon," Jeremy said under his breath and hissed when Elena kicked him under the table.

"Thanks, Elena," Tyler said, eyes shining with gratefulness. They were silent for a moment before Damon finally spoke.

"So how high do you think your water bill is going to be Elena?" he asked, smirking at Tyler and Jeremy. They both blushed and looked down into their mugs as they took a long drink, ignoring Elena and Damon's laughter.

* * *

Two weekends later was the weekend before Christmas and the streets of New York City were alive with the spirit of the holidays; people were out Christmas shopping, enjoying the snow or the decorations or both; some were caroling in the park and in the streets while others preferred to watch them and the parades that took place almost every Saturday. On one such Saturday morning, Tyler, Katherine, Jeremy and Caroline were having breakfast at Ihop, one of Katherine's favorite restaurants and enjoying the view of the snow and the people bustling by trying to get their last minute shopping in.

"What'd you get me for Christmas Daddy?" Katherine asked for the sixth time that week as she shoved more strawberry pancakes into her mouth.

Tyler chuckled, "Can't—can't t-t-tell you Kit-Kat. It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises," she pouted and Jeremy and Caroline snickered.

"Well if he tells you he'll have to take it back," Jeremy said, pouring a large amount of syrup on his waffles. Tyler watched him and shook his head fondly; something he discovered about Jeremy was that he had a big sweet tooth.

"So if I tell him what I got him or you or Caroline then I have to take it back? What if I want to make sure you like it?" she asked with wide eyes.

Jeremy froze and Caroline laughed at his expression; he didn't expect Katherine to buy him something even though he knew what he was getting her.

"She hasn't gotten anything yet," Caroline giggled. "We're going after breakfast…and you guys aren't allowed to come so find something else to do. It'll probably take all day since there are so many people out doing last minute shopping."

Tyler smirked slightly, "I'm sure we'll f-f-find _something _to do." He sent a sly look at Jeremy and the younger man blushed.

"Gutter mind," he muttered as he stabbed his waffle. Tyler and Caroline laughed, Katherine looking at all the adults in confusion before shrugging and going back to her pancakes, thinking about the letter she still needed to write to Santa for her and Pom-Pom.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Tyler and Jeremy returned to Tyler's apartment while Katherine and Caroline joined the masses in the madness that was Christmas shopping. Jeremy had been spending more and more time with his family, eating dinner with them almost every night since their first kiss and having breakfast this morning. Tyler was elated that he fit so well with them and that Katherine had adapted so well to having her teacher around as much as he was. He knew that Kol's leaving had devastated her and he was glad she seemed to be over it; he wanted to change her last name from Kol's to his as one of her Christmas presents and he had been discussing it with Jeremy to see what he thought.

"I d-d-don't want it t-t-to be a reminder of him," he said with finality. "She's b-b-been h-h-happier these past few months."

"I don't think she'll mind; she loves you Tyler and if she doesn't like it, you can always change it back, though something tells me she'll be really happy when she sees that paper," Jeremy replied sincerely, pushing his glasses up his nose. He knew that this was something that had been bothering Tyler and he honestly didn't think Katherine would mind sharing his last name.

"I hope not," he muttered, sitting on the couch after removing his jacket and his shoes. "Our p-p-p-p—our plan was for Katherine to-to-to take his last name and for our little b-b-boy to take mine so it w-w-w-would be even."

Jeremy briefly wondered why they just didn't get married before deciding it didn't matter. He sat next to Tyler after removing his own jacket, scarf and shoes. "You only wanted two?"

"It was all we—we had room f-f-for," he said with a light laugh as he lost himself in the memory of his and Kol's happier days. "Katherine really—really loved Kol; she wouldn't l-l-let him go when Caroline f-f-first gave her to him."

Jeremy smiled at him, not allowing the jealousy or the longing he felt to shine through. He wanted a family for as long as he could remember, his own being taken away from him at a young age, and now he wanted one with Tyler; the thought had been crossing his mind for the past few days and every time he saw Katherine with Tyler the longing in his stomach would grow. It sounded foolish to want something like that with someone he'd been seeing for only a couple months but he couldn't help it; he was in love with Tyler and he wanted a life with him. He just hoped he didn't fall in love alone; he had past of falling in love too quickly and things turning out ugly. He decided to keep this bit of information to himself for now; he didn't want to overwhelm Tyler and he wanted to be certain Tyler wanted the same things he did.

"I can't believe he hasn't been to see her. What kind of man abandons his own child like that?" Jeremy said before he could stop himself. His eyes widened as he looked at Tyler, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said—I mean—"

"N-No Jere, you're right. And—and maybe it's partially my fault b-b-because I didn't t-t-t-tell him we were moving but he could've—could've found out our n-n-new address from my f-f-father. He doesn't—doesn't want to see her." He shook his head sadly. Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of his head.

"It's not your fault Ty," he murmured and he felt Tyler nod slightly before he wrapped his arms around his frame tightly, burying his nose in his neck and inhaling deeply.

They held each other like this for a few moments before Tyler pulled back and gave Jeremy a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Th-Thank you," he murmured softly. Jeremy kissed him in response, relishing in the feel of Tyler's lips on his and his hands on his back. He pulled back and kissed the single father on the forehead and murmured, "Of course."

Tyler kissed Jeremy deeply then, pushing him back gently so he was lying on the couch. Jeremy's hands moved down to clutch Tyler's arms, his breathing coming out in short pants as he moved to his neck, sucking and biting down the pale pillar. He sucked particularly hard right above his collar bone and the younger man moaned, shifting his hips. Tyler groaned when Jeremy's half erection bumped into his own and he quickly slid wandering hands up his shirt, loving the skin-on-skin contact. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted, pulling Jeremy up and the shirt off, throwing it on the floor and resuming his assault on his neck, trailing light kisses down his chest. Jeremy let out a moan when Tyler reached his nipples, taking one in his mouth and sucking on it gently, his eyes searching out the teachers and holding his gaze. Jeremy bit his lip, hands trailing from his biceps to his hair as Tyler moved to give his other nipple some attention.

Jeremy's trembling hands found their way to the buttons on Tyler's white, button-down and he popped the first three off before Tyler took pity and helped him. The teacher slid the fabric off his shoulders, revealing smooth, tan skin. He ran his hands over perfect broad shoulders and raked his nails lightly down his back, the other man groaning lightly at the sensation. Tyler kissed him softly for a moment before kissing the middle of his chest and sliding down to his belly-button, dipping his tongue in and swirling it teasingly before tracing back up his chest to his lips with his tongue. Jeremy let out a breathy moan and his hands gripped Tyler's shoulders tightly; his pants were uncomfortably tight now thanks to Tyler's teasing and he needed relief.

Tyler kissed his cheek and pulled back slightly, smiling at Jeremy's whine at the loss of body contact. He brought a hand to his cheek and stroked soothingly with his thumb.

"I—I don't want to make you un-uncomfortable," he said softly. Jeremy peered at him through shining eyes for a moment before nodding, taking ahold of Tyler's hand on his cheek and leading it down to his pants, which were so uncomfortable by now it was painful. Tyler looked at him once more to make sure this was what he wanted before popping the button with one hand and sliding them down a bit, his erection bulging through his briefs. Tyler's breath caught as he looked at the pretty picture Jeremy made on his couch.

A moan brought him out of his reverie as Jeremy thrust his hips up, trying to find relief. Tyler bent to kiss a nipple before sliding his hand into the black briefs, grabbing the damp flesh firmly. He smiled when Jeremy immediately reacted, thrusting into his hand and whimpering. Tyler stroked him gently, ignoring his own erection for as long as he could; he wanted to make Jeremy as comfortable as possible, even if that meant putting his own needs aside for the time being. Jeremy arched his back and cried out when Tyler tugged firmly, his nails digging into his biceps. He shoved his pants and briefs down further, his hand never letting up.

"Tyler," he moaned out as the hand moved faster. "Oh god Ty…"

Tyler dropped his head into the crook of Jeremy's neck, sucking languidly on the hot skin as he brought Jeremy closer to climax; he was so beautiful in the throes of passion. His hand slowed when he felt the other man's hands trailing down his stomach, muscles tensing from the touch, to his pants. He felt them being unbuttoned and unzipped and a hand reaching past his pants and boxers, grasping his erection and tugging gently. He gasped and bit his lip, looking into Jeremy's eyes for reassurance that this was what he wanted. He was met with a lustful gaze and that gave Tyler his answer.

Jeremy pulled him out and stroked him, his eyes never leaving his and Tyler felt the intensity of his stare, of this moment, envelop him and send him closer to the edge. He kissed Jeremy hard, which he returned just as enthusiastically, their hands never stopping as they brought each other closer to euphoria. Jeremy was panting and moaning, the sounds driving Tyler wild as he sped up his movements, determined to bring Jeremy off first. Jeremy's other hand was on his neck, guiding him down for another deep kiss, he twisted and tugged his hand at the same moment and Jeremy let out a moan into his mouth before reaching his limit.

He cried out Tyler's name as he came all over his hand, his own hand never stopping and Tyler clenched his jaw following him into bliss. The single father lowered himself down slowly until he was lying flush against Jeremy and buried his head in his neck again. He could feel Jeremy's heart beating erratically and he felt a surge of pride that _he_ made this normally shy teacher lose some control, his mind wandering to how he would look when he was inside him. He shivered; he really needed to stop thinking these things before he had another problem to take care of.

Jeremy was gulping down breaths as he tried to slow his heart, the heat radiating off Tyler comforting him and making him warm and sleepy. He groaned lightly, his free hand massaging Tyler's neck and he chuckled when he purred like a content cat. After another long moment Tyler lifted his head and kissed Jeremy's lips before kissing his eyebrow and stood. He pulled his pants back up and disappeared into the bathroom for a moment and came back with a wet rag to clean them off. When he was done he left to throw the rag in the laundry hamper in the corner of the bathroom and went back into the living room, lifting a sleepy Jeremy into his arms and carrying him to his bedroom. He placed him gently on the bed and removed his jeans, leaving his briefs on, before shucking his own pants and climbing in to spoon the younger man, arm going around him and rubbing his stomach. Jeremy sighed contentedly and laced his fingers with the hand on his stomach, letting sleep overtake him. Tyler kissed the back of his head before following him into dreams.

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**Steamy enough? More Reviews/Comments=more smuttiness :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**First I want to thank everyone for reviewing and reading this story :) Second, because of my tight schedule I will only be able to update each story once a week. I have planned on updating Wait for It  on Wednesdays, Life Long Learning on Thursdays and Moonlight (my One Tree Hill story) on Mondays. A Little Slice of Heaven will come in sometime but I haven't really had time to write the last part so that may be a while. That is a TENTATIVE schedule, so don't be upset or angry if I don't get the chapters up by those dates, that's just how I'm planning it for now. **

**Third and lastly, check out my new story A Little Slice of Heaven and tell me what you think! It's a three-shot and could use some love, plus I would love feedback. Much appreciated! **

**This chapter has more fluff, more smut and the drama begins! Get excited and get reading and please don't forget to review or comment!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

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When Jeremy awoke, it was late afternoon and he was warm and comfortable in a very plush bed. He stretched his muscles, making sure to stay under the warm blankets before rolling over to face Tyler. The older man's soothing voice had awoken him; he was sitting up facing away from him and talking very quietly on the phone with someone only wearing his black briefs, giving Jeremy a delicious view of his bare back.

"Y-Y-Yes Mom, I'm fine," he sighed exasperatedly. A shrill voice on the other line spoke quickly to him and Jeremy couldn't understand what they were saying. Tyler let out a loud sigh and placed his head in his hand.

"I'll b-b-bring her over for a while but I don't—don't want Dad to be there, unless he's going to be nice. I d-d-don't want him scaring my d-d-daughter."

Jeremy frowned; Tyler's father didn't like Katherine? He found that hard to believe; _everyone_ liked Katherine. The girl was definitely one of the most polite, excitable and fun kids he'd ever met. All the girls in the class wanted to be her friend and he often saw a couple of the boys staring at her much too long during lessons when they should've been watching him teach. Tyler had told him about Katherine being bullied last year and he made sure to keep Taylor and his gang away from Katherine, Anna and Pearl as much as possible, though he was sure he needn't worry about bullying; most of the boys would probably come to their defense now than be caught harassing them.

"Yes C-C-Caroline can come…Mom, I met someone and I—I want you to meet him," Tyler said softly and Jeremy's eyes widened. He didn't know why he was surprised by this; he and Tyler were together so by rights he should tell his mom about them. He just didn't think it'd be this soon. When he really thought about it though, he and Tyler had been talking since September, when Katherine started school. They talked almost every day for three months before Tyler asked him out and they had talked on the phone almost every night since then. He had only known this family for about five months, yet he felt as if he'd known them his entire life. He was so comfortable around Tyler he felt as if life was always meant to be like this. He could admit to himself that he was in love with him and that he loved his daughter and Caroline too; they all captured his heart in different ways. If meeting Tyler's mom made him happy, he would do it in a heartbeat just to see the smile on Tyler's face.

He wondered about Tyler's dad when the voice on the phone let out a high-pitched squeal, distracting him, and Tyler took the phone away from his ear; Jeremy figured if he hadn't been awake before that would have definitely woken him and he sat up, stretching his arms above his head. Tyler turned to him and smiled apologetically before the voice started speaking rapidly again, an octave higher now.

"His name is Jeremy and he's—he's w-w-wonderful," Tyler said looking straight at him. The teacher felt his heart freeze as he caught Tyler's smile and he blushed under the intensity of his stare.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "No, n-n-not on Christmas, he has his own family t-t-to see. You c-can after that."

The voice spoke again and Tyler nodded his head. "I will M-M-Mom. Okay…love you t-too. Bye," he slid his phone shut and he sighed as he placed it on the nightstand. He reached for the younger man and he went willingly, sliding his warm bare skin against Tyler's as the older man gathered him into his arms and tilted his head up for a kiss.

"Sleep well?" he murmured against his lips as he pulled back. Jeremy hummed in agreement before pressing his lips back against Tyler's. He couldn't get enough of Tyler's kisses; they were addictive, just like the man himself.

"Guess I wore—wore you out; w-w-we'll need to build your st-st-stamina," Tyler said with a grin and Jeremy gave a sleepy huff of laughter before leaning back and pulling Tyler with him.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" he asked the man on top of him, grinning like a loon.

Tyler smirked, "You'll see." He dipped his head and pressed his lips softly to Jeremy's, the bare skin touching his causing sparks of heat to run throughout his body. He brought a hand to gently rub Jeremy's stomach and the teacher moaned lightly at the contact, scraping his nails lightly down Tyler's back making the older man shiver. Before things could really get heated there was a knock on the door.

"Daddy? Are you awake?" Katherine whispered loudly through the door. Jeremy pulled back and laughed at Tyler's groan as he dropped his head to the pale chest under him.

"Y-Yeah baby, what's wr-wrong?"

"Can we go ice-skating with Anna and Pearl in the park?" she asked cheerily, voice back to normal pitch.

"S-S-Sure baby, go get dressed," he said and he smiled at Jeremy when he heard that un-mistakable squeal of excitement.

"Okay! Are you and Mr. Gilbert coming too?"

"Uh…" he looked at Jeremy who shrugged and nodded. "Yeah—Yeah we'll come too."

Another squeal and Jeremy chuckled. "Okay, I'll go tell Caroline!" Little feet were heard running down the hall.

"Are you s-s-sure? We don't—don't have to," Tyler said gently.

"Tyler, you already work these insane hours and you don't spend half as much time with her as you should be; I'm not taking you away from your daughter. Plus we don't have to ice-skate; we can watch her and Caroline. I definitely can't ice-skate but it's nice to watch people who can."

Tyler laughed and pecked Jeremy on the nose; one of the things he loved about Jeremy was that he was always ready to hang out with his family. Whenever Katherine wanted to do something now she would always ask if Mr. Gilbert was coming and he always did. It warmed Tyler's heart to see how accepting of Katherine Jeremy was and how Jeremy jumped at every opportunity to spend time with her.

"You're amazing, you kn-kn-kn-know that?" Tyler told him and Jeremy blushed that adorable red hue whenever he was complimented. "Seriously Jere, the way you're always r-r-r-ready to j-j-just do anything for Katherine…you amaze me, Jere," Tyler finished, the awe in his voice taking Jeremy's breath away and he couldn't stop himself from crashing his lips against Tyler's. This kiss was different, they could both feel it. There was slight desperation, longing, the need to have the other as close as possible because someone like this just didn't _exist_ in the world, someone who understood them and what they needed and Jeremy didn't care if he couldn't breathe after this because no one had ever made him feel this way in his entire life and he just wanted to hang on to Tyler forever.

_Forever_. The word rang in his head and he gasped as Tyler's tongue slipped into his mouth and he pushed his hips down. He inhaled deeply through his nose as their tongues danced, making them both shiver. He wanted Tyler—no, he _needed_ Tyler forever. There was no way he could go back to the life he had without this man, this man who had healed his heart when he thought he would always be alone, the man who was opening his eyes to how beautiful life could be. Tyler pulled back to catch some air and Jeremy immediately nuzzled his head into the crook of his neck, not wanting Tyler to see the tears that suddenly sprung to his eyes or how completely _enamored_ with him he was. He whimpered as Tyler nuzzled his neck and breathed in deeply while sitting up and holding him in his lap, willing the words not to spill from his lips.

_I love you._

"We—we should p-p-probably get ready. You know—know how impatient Katherine gets," Tyler said softly and Jeremy smiled against the skin of his neck before lifting his head, making sure he wouldn't burst into tears or something else embarrassing. He nodded and kissed Tyler again; a simple, lingering kiss that rocked them each to the core before standing and locating his pants. When they had finished dressing Tyler drew him close again and pressed their foreheads together, staring straight into his eyes as they breathed in each other's air.

"I—I'm really glad I m-m-met you," Tyler breathed; the feelings he had for Jeremy were so strong it was almost overwhelming.

_I love you._

Jeremy lifted his head and gazed into his eyes, "Me too, Ty."

_I love you._

Tyler pecked him on the lips and then on the cheek before taking his hand and leading him out into the living room.

* * *

The ice-skating ring was packed, as it usually was every year but they managed to rent skates for the girls and Caroline and the four of them were out with the crowd of fellow skaters while Jeremy and Tyler watched from the sidelines. It was date night for Anna and Pearl's parents, so they were more than happy to let them ice-skate with Katherine and Caroline didn't mind watching them, especially when they offered to pay her a handsome amount of money.

Jeremy and Tyler laughed as Caroline fell for the third time on her rear. The girls surrounded her and pulled her back into standing position and held on to her as they guided her through the crowded ring. Without taking his eyes off his daughter, Tyler wrapped his arm around Jeremy's and intertwined their fingers. Jeremy smiled as the single father brought their linked hands to his lips and kissed the back of his.

"Mr. Gilbert, come skate with us!" Pearl cried as the four girls slid over to them.

"Yeah, Mr. Gilbert come out here, it's really fun! And Caroline needs a break, she keeps falling!" Katherine ended on a giggle as Caroline scowled at her.

Jeremy laughed and readjusted his glasses, "I'm not any better; you guys will have to lead me."

The girls agreed and Jeremy gave Tyler a smile before he went to purchase skates. Caroline huffed as she made it to a bench, Tyler laughing as he handed her boots to her.

"Shut-up Tyler," she glared at his grin.

"You—you're a natural Caroline," he chuckled and she flipped him the bird.

"I'd like to see you out there. I thought Jeremy said he couldn't ice-skate?"

"He did," Tyler said with another laugh. "I g-g-guess he took pity on you.

She stood and they both went back to the edge of the rink, watching Jeremy standing unsteadily on his skates and using the wall to get around, Katherine hanging on to his free arm, Pearl skating in back of them and Anna skating off to the side. Tyler watched them, the smile never leaving his face and as he continued to watch the elementary school teacher be led around by the three girls without a care in the world at how he looked, with the Christmas tree lit up and lights dancing all around them, he came to a realization.

He was completely in love with him.

* * *

The next week was Christmas and Christmas break and the students were free from school until next year. Katherine was a little sad at there being no school but excited for the upcoming holidays.

Carol Lockwood wanted to spend a girl's day with Katherine and Caroline, leaving Tyler to go out with Jeremy after taking the rest of the day off. He, Matt and Bonnie had worked hard the past month to complete their latest project and present it to Rebekah and now that the stress was over, he wanted to make-up missed time with his boyfriend.

He grinned as he spotted the familiar longish hair, adorable glasses and blue and black striped scarf as he walked up to him.

"You're off early," he murmured softly kissing his temple. Jeremy smiled and kissed his lips. "Yeah, some board meeting; I just know I don't need to be there for it."

Tyler hummed before taking his hand and walking inside the Italian restaurant. "So you're free for the rest of th-th-the day?"

"Why yes, Mr. Lockwood, I am," Jeremy smiled, squeezing his hand. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well—well the girls are gone for the day with my m-m-mom, so would—would you want to c-come over? W-W-Watch a movie?"

Jeremy nodded as they were seated, "Yeah, I haven't had a free day like this in a while so anything relaxing sounds fantastic." He smiled at Tyler as he picked up his menu.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Holy shit," Jeremy breathed as he laid on his back on Tyler's bed, his hands clenching the sheets so hard his knuckles turned white. He bit his lip hard as he lifted his head to look down, seeing Tyler smile mischievously at him before swallowing him again, his tongue massaging in such a way he had to lay back down. He let out another choked groan when that tongue flicked over his head dipping into the slit teasingly, his hands flying from the sheets to the top of Tyler's head getting lost in his soft, dark hair.

Tyler was happy that Katherine and Caroline wouldn't be back until dinner; he hadn't intended on doing anything with Jeremy and was in the process of actually looking through his movie collection when Jeremy wrapped arms around his waist and peppered little kisses on his neck, one thing led to another, and now he had Jeremy at his mercy. Lately they'd been finding it extremely hard to keep their hands to themselves. He knew the shy teacher had never done this before, which made him even more eager to please; he loved the idea of being the first one, and hopefully the only one, to bring Jeremy such pleasure.

"Tyler, TylerTylerTylerTylerTyler," Jeremy chanted breathily, not even aware that his boyfriend's name was spilling from his lips or how high his voice was, his mind in a haze of pure ecstasy, hands clenching in Tyler's hair and he groaned around Jeremy, making his hips buck up and he hit the back of Tyler's throat. He pressed large hands to slim hips and held him down as he continued to work him, his own cock begging to be released from his boxers. By the way his boyfriend was shaking and the volume of his cries, he could tell he was close to finishing.

Jeremy's hands found his on his hips and he gripped them tightly. He swallowed as far as he could go and hummed lowly; Jeremy let out a sound between a scream and a sob as he shot down Tyler's throat, toes curling into the sheets as he rode his orgasm, wave after wave of pleasure crashing down on him until he was nothing but a boneless heap on the bed trembling from the aftershocks. He panted wildly trying to catch his breath, his abdomen still having spasms from the intense pleasure. Tyler crawled up the bed slowly and lay behind him pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek and his hand caressing his chest soothingly.

"God that was incredible," Jeremy said breathlessly. He didn't think he would ever breathe properly again.

Tyler grinned and kissed his temple, "Glad you—you enjoyed babe."

"Do you want me to…?" he looked at Tyler questioningly after a few moments of catching his breath referring to the bulge visible through his boxers. He shook his head.

"I'm fine, just relax," he murmured in his ear, sending shivers down Jeremy's spine, hand still trailing lightly down his chest. Listening to Jeremy crying out his name made him harder than a rock but he wasn't going to make Jeremy do anything he wasn't ready for; he could wait.

Apparently, Jeremy didn't seem to agree. "But that's not fair," he frowned.

"This isn't about g-g-getting off, I just wanted t-t-to make you feel good" Tyler said softly. "I don't expect anything from you Jere, I only w-want you to do something when you're ready, n-not because you need to make it fair." He kissed his neck gently. "Just take it slow."

Jeremy turned so he was facing Tyler, his smile making his face glow and it took Tyler's breath away.

"How did I get so lucky to find someone like you?" he murmured in awe before kissing the other man gently. Tyler's arms went around his back, hands trailing up and down lightly. Jeremy pulled back and smiled, kissing his nose before he made himself comfortable on the muscled, tan chest, Tyler fingers carding gently through his hair lulling him to sleep.

He sighed as the younger fell deeper into slumber; he had come dangerously close to saying those three words to Jeremy again but he held off. He felt that it was too early to be saying 'I love you' but his feelings for Jeremy were deep, deeper than his feelings for Kol at this point in their relationship and he constantly had to restrain himself from blurting it out. His erection was straining through his boxers but he didn't want to leave Jeremy; he meant it when he said he only wanted the young man to something when he was ready. He would make sure he was _never_ anything like Jeremy's previous boyfriend; he loved him too much to hurt him like that.

Seeing no way around his problem, he quietly scooted out of Jeremy's embrace and headed toward the bathroom; the quicker he relieved himself, the faster he could be back in bed snuggling with his boyfriend.

* * *

Christmas came and went in a flash and two days later, Tyler found himself back in the office. When he showed Katherine the piece of paper that officially claimed her as Katherine Lockwood, she had screamed out of pure joy and hugged him tightly, not letting him go for an hour. Seeing Katherine so happy because of sharing his last name made tears come to Tyler's eyes and Caroline didn't help matters when she burst into tears of happiness for them. The first person Katherine called to share the good news with was Jeremy, who had flown to Virginia with Elena to see their Aunt Jenna and her husband Alaric. Tyler was grateful for phones and being able to talk to Jeremy for hours every night when he wasn't spending time with Katherine, his mother and Caroline. His mother had been disappointed when she hadn't gotten the chance to meet him but he had promised that she would when he came back.

He told Caroline about his feelings for Jeremy and asked for her opinion on telling him. He cringed as she squealed sounding a lot like Katherine, "Oh my god, Ty! That's great—you HAVE to tell him soon, like really, _really_ soon and—oh my god Katherine is going to be _so_ happy—"

"D-d-don't mention this—this to her yet," Tyler said quickly; sometimes Caroline's excitement got in the way of her better judgment.

"My lips are sealed," she dramatically zipped her lips and flung the key over her shoulder. "But Ty seriously, _don't wait!_ You have to tell him soon. Don't you want to know if he feels the same way?"

"B-b-but I think it might be too soon," Tyler said, worrying his lower lip. "We've only been dating f-f-f-for over a month—"

"But you guys have been talking for _waaaaay_ longer than that! Think about it; Katherine started school in like what—August? You talked to him every day you went to drop her off—that's like three months right there, then you finally got the courage to ask him out in like November and you guys talked even more and you went on _five_ dates before you even _kissed_ the guy. I don't think you telling him 'I love you' is going to make him run for the hills; he's just as smitten with you as you are with him. I can see it when he looks at you Ty."

His heart thumped as he thought about Jeremy and his adorable blush; could he really feel the same way? Jeremy had been hurt deeply in the past so he knew it would be hard for the shy man to open up to someone again and Tyler was okay with waiting for him; he knew all too well what betrayal felt like. He wanted Jeremy to be completely comfortable with him before he took that leap.

He just really hoped that Jeremy felt the same way about him.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Two days before New Year's, Tyler decided to walk home from work seeing as it was a nice day, a rare occasion in December in New York and he wanted time just to think. When he looked back on it, the year had started out fine and went from decent to horrible in the span of a few months because of Kol; he thought that he would never be able to find another person who cared enough to understand him or deal with Katherine. Then Jeremy Gilbert came into his life and Tyler had thanked God every single day that he took a chance and asked his beautiful, sweet boyfriend out on that first date. Now, at the end of the year, he was due for a raise, his daughter was happy and he found love when he thought the chance to love again would be forever lost to him. Yes, he still had issues to deal with, like his father and his conniving boss (he had yet to hear about his complaint from the month prior) but he couldn't complain about his life right now. It was as close to perfect as it could be and he was definitely happy with that.

He rounded the corner to his apartment and climbed the first set of stairs, completely stopping when he saw who was sitting on the second set.

"Hey Ty," Kol smiled at him carefully. His hair was messy like it used to be and he was wearing jeans and a hoodie, so Tyler surmised he didn't just come from work. _How the hell did he find out where we lived?_ Then he remembered that Kol worked for his father now.

"Wh-wh-what are you d-d-doing here Kol?" Tyler asked warily as he stared at his ex-boyfriend; _God_, _he still looks good._ He mentally berated himself for even thinking the thought.

Kol stood but kept his distance from Tyler, which the other man was grateful for. "I just wanted to see you and Kitty and how you were doing. I…I miss you Ty," he said quietly, licking his lips and Tyler's eyes watched followed the action. "I know you probably don't want to see me but I was…I've been thinking about you and Kitty a lot since I saw you at your father's dinner and…and I want to come home."

Tyler blinked at him, his surprise—_was_ _he_ _serious?_—turning into anger quickly, "B-B-Blondie wasn't w-w-working out for you, was she? And—and now you want to-to-to come home and put it behind you like—like it never happened?" he scoffed. "I don't think so."

"Tyler—"

"N-No! You don't get to do this to me! You don't get to do it to K-K-Kitty! It's been what—eight months since—since you left and how m-m-many times did you ask to see your d-d-daughter? How many t-t-times did you try and make an effort to b-b-be in her life? None! I've—I've raising _our_ seven-year-old d-d-daughter by myself and not _once_ did you _ever_ come to see if she was okay!" Tyler yelled at him, attracting the attention of those walking by but he didn't care. "How could you do that to me? A-a-after everything we went through…how could you j-just throw it away like it was nothing?"

"I was stupid Ty; I didn't know what I wanted! I thought that maybe there was more than what I had and I was foolish and let go of the two best things that ever happened to me!" he exclaimed. "I took you—both of you—for granted and I'm so, so sorry baby. You gotta know how sorry I am!"

Tyler's eyes flashed furiously. "I'm sure you were s-s-sorry. Sorry when I caught you _in our bed_ with a woman you—you were seeing f-f-for _weeks_ behind my back while I worked like hell to—to keep our family together. You can t-t-take your apologies and shove them up your ass Kol because they d-d-don't mean shit," he said coldly. He pushed past him, ascending the stairs to his apartment when Kol grabbed his hand. He snatched his hand away in disgust, "I have n-n-nothing more to say to you K-Kol."

"Please," he begged, "please Tyler, I love you. Give me another chance to show you how much you and Katherine mean to me."

"It's too late Kol," he snapped while taking a step up, "I've found someone else, someone who actually knows wh-wh-what he wants and he makes—makes me happy. You d-d-d-devastated Kitty when you left and she's finally happy again; you can't just waltz back into her life like these p-p-past few months didn't happen. He's b-b-been good to her and—and me; I would _never _leave him for you." He climbed the rest of the stairs, unlocking the door quickly before stepping inside and slamming it, never turning back to his ex-lover, Kol watching him walk away from him and shutting him out of his life.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for all the reviews! Now on with the story!**

**Warnings: sexsexsexsexsexsex! Yes, this is the chapter ;) So you better review.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

* * *

"I can't believe the _nerve_ of that guy! Did he honestly think you would take him back after all that sh—?"

"Language, Caroline," Tyler warned as Katherine looked up from her homework at the dinner table.

"Sorry," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "After all that shit he pulled with you and Katherine? You're not considering it, are you?"

"Hell no," Tyler said firmly, face set. "I meant—meant when I said I wasn't going to-to leave Jeremy for him. If Kitty still wants him in her life then I c-c-c-can't stop her from seeing her father. Other than—than that, I want nothing to do with him."

"Good," Caroline nodded her head once. "He's such a dick; I can't stand him."

"That—that makes two of us," Tyler chuckled. He didn't tell Katherine about Kol's visits; the man had come two more times to try and see her and get Tyler to take him back, leaving flowers on the doorstep with his number attached to them since Tyler wouldn't open the door. Katherine, luckily, wasn't home when this happened.

"Don't s-s-say anything to Katherine…I d-d-d-d—I don't want her to worry or be p-pressured into anything right now. If—If Kol doesn't even come back then she'll have g-g-g-gotten her hopes up for nothing."

"Alright, I won't say a word. Speaking of not telling people things…did you tell Jeremy how you feel yet?"

Tyler shook his head, "There hasn't been a right—right moment yet. I will soon, I c-c-can't keep it in much longer."

"So I'm guessing date night's coming up? I'll keep Kat the whole weekend, free of charge. Anna and Pearl's parents paid me enough to cover two month's rent." The look on Caroline's face when they handed her the envelope of money had Tyler laughing as he remembered when Kelly placed it in her hand and called her a 'heaven-sent angel.'

"Of course I'm—I'm going to pay you, Caroline," Tyler rolled his eyes. "And Kelly—Kelly and Phil really—really covet their date nights," he chuckled. "It's better when—when they don't have to go through the process of trying out b-babysitters that actually k-keep the twins happy."

"I told her I wouldn't mind watching them, as long as they didn't care when I had Katherine with me when I did so of course they didn't say no. Honestly, they are the funniest kids I've ever been around," Caroline said with a smile. "So, back to date night; this weekend yes? And your mom keeps asking me when you're going to bring Jeremy around; she's dying to meet him, Ty."

"I g-guess that'll be our date then," Tyler said with a small smile. He was nervous about Jeremy meeting his mom; she could be a bit much at times. He just hoped she didn't scare him away, like he knew his father would if he were to meet him. His father scared everyone he ever brought to meet his parents and he hated it; he knew the man did it on purpose because he couldn't stand the fact that Tyler preferred men to women. He couldn't count the number of times he practically begged him to go out with women he asked to try and convert his son to be 'normal.'

"Tell Jeremy to prepare himself, your mother is a handful," Caroline laughed. "But I just know she'll love him. He's seriously one of the most likeable people I've ever met."

Tyler agreed; Jeremy's shyness but overall optimistic attitude drew people in. It was what made him such a successful teacher. He leaned into the couch, petting Pom-Pom absentmindedly on his lap as he wondered what his mother would think about Jeremy.

* * *

"I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous," Jeremy said nervousness clear in his voice and Tyler laughed before kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't—don't worry, she's going to love you." Tyler barely refrained from adding, _almost as much as I do_ to the end of that statement. "If Katherine likes you, then my mom will _really—really _like you."

Jeremy chuckled and wrapped his arms around Tyler's waist hiding his face from the late January coldness as they stood outside the crowded restaurant. A smile came to his face when he felt his boyfriend's lips in his hair. "So am I not meeting your dad, then?"

Tyler sighed, "Hopefully you never meet him. He…he doesn't approve my l-l-lifestyle so you can only im-im-imagine how he r-r-reacts to meeting my p-p-partners. One of—of them even broke up with me afterwards, they were th-that terrified of him."

Jeremy frowned, "That's horrible! But just so you know, it would take a lot more than your homophobic father to scare me away Ty," he said kissing the older man on the cheek. "I've been through worse, believe me."

Tyler felt his heart soar at the words and was about to tell Jeremy how he felt then and there when he heard his name being called by a shrill voice, "Tyler, honey! Over here!"

He turned to see his mother standing in the doorway and waving frantically at them. He waved back with a slight smile and grabbed Jeremy's hand, lacing their fingers as they made their way through the throng of people.

"You look cozy," she stated as she kissed his cheek and gave him a hug. She turned her eyes to Jeremy and she smiled widely. "You must be Jeremy! Tyler, he is too adorable! Where did you find him?"

Tyler laughed and Jeremy blushed, "At Katherine's school; he's her—her teacher."

She gave him an enthusiastic hug, one Jeremy wasn't expecting and Tyler laughed at the surprised look on his face as he awkwardly hugged her back. "Aren't you just the cutest thing!" She turned to Tyler, "I like him already!"

Tyler shook his head, still chucking at his baffled boyfriend. Dinner was going to be interesting.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Your mother has already asked to plan lunch dates with me…does that mean I pass the mother test?" Jeremy asked happily as they slowly walked around the plaza hand-in-hand. Tyler laughed and nodded.

"You d-definitely passed, with f-flying colors." His mother already told him that Jeremy was a perfect match for him and she had noticed that his stutter had lessened significantly so she most definitely approved; something that made him quite happy.

Jeremy breathed out a sigh of relief, "That's good. She's very…enthusiastic; reminds me of Katherine and Caroline. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were all related."

"You think—think Elena would fit in good with them?" Tyler asked laughingly. He could only imagine the slightly serious speech therapist hanging out with two animated women and an excitable seven-year-old.

"I don't know; Elena has her moments of excitement but nowhere near as much as them. I don't think she'd know what to do with Katherine."

"H-How about her boss?" Tyler laughed at Jeremy's face.

"Stefan would want to hide under a rock for the rest of his life after a day with them. I would be so surprised if he wound up marrying someone like Caroline."

"She'd be a g-g-good mother," Tyler said thoughtfully, thinking about how the younger woman was practically a mother to Katherine. Jeremy hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, she's definitely wife material. She would definitely go all out on a wedding," he chuckled at the thought. Tyler laughed as well, though his head was wondering what his younger boyfriend thought about weddings and if he ever considered getting married. They came to a stop at the large fountain situated in the middle of the plaza and Tyler gathered enough courage to ask the question. "Do—do you th-think about g-g-getting married, Jere?"

The younger man's face turned bright red and he looked bashful, "I…it's crossed my mind a couple times but I—I never thought I would get the chance." He turned doe-like brown eyes onto Tyler, "Did you ever think about marrying Kol?"

"I…I g-g-guess I did for a while but after—after everything happened and—and looking at-at my p-p-p—my parent's marriage, I didn't think I ever…wanted to-to get married," he admitted softly. "I didn't—didn't think I'd ever find s-s-someone I…I loved enough to go through with it but now…I th-think I've f-f-found the one." He turned to Jeremy, his heart pounding as he bared his soul to the other man hoping upon hope he felt the same way.

Jeremy stared at him with wide eyes; was Tyler saying what he thought he was saying? "Tyler," he breathed, feeling breathless by the intensity of his stare. The older cupped his cheek with a slightly trembling hand.

"I love you, Jeremy," Tyler whispered emotionally as his thumb stroked along his cheek-bone. Jeremy gasped and he gazed in the dark brown eyes.

"You really mean that?" he asked breathlessly.

"I do. I love you, so—_so_, much," he said tenderly. Jeremy felt his eyes water and before he could stop it a tear fell down his face. Tyler wiped it away gently and another one took its place.

"Tyler I…I love you too," he choked out smiling despite the tears falling down his face and Tyler grinned like a kid on Christmas before cupping Jeremy's face and kissing him soundly ignoring the way the wiry glasses poked his face. Jeremy grabbed his wrists tightly returning the kiss enthusiastically, the statue of the woman and angel in the fountain smiling down on the two as water shot into the starry, night sky.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Jeremy laughed into Tyler's mouth as the older man trapped him against his front door while he tried to find his keys. Jeremy's hands were touching him everywhere and he knew that if they didn't get home they would be arrested for extreme PDA. Tyler let out a pleased growl as he succeeded in getting the key into the lock before turning it forcefully, lips never leaving Jeremy's as he pushed the slightly shorter man inside and shut the door behind them, remembering in his lustful haze to lock it. He guided them to the couch before falling on top of the teacher as his lips traveled to his neck. Jeremy moaned and pushed Tyler's coat off his shoulders before helping Tyler pop the buttons on his. Tyler threw it over his shoulder and attacked Jeremy's lips with his own again. He could feel how hard Jeremy was already and it made him double his efforts to get him naked. He finally got to his shirt and started un-doing buttons while sucking on Jeremy's neck, basking in the moans he was coaxing out of the younger man. He felt Jeremy push at his arms and he reluctantly pulled back.

"I want you," Jeremy breathed in his ear, the words going straight to Tyler's cock and he closed his eyes to reign in his self-control.

"Are you s-sure Jere? I—I don't want to hurt you," Tyler said lowly, looking into his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was trigger old memories for the shy teacher.

"I'm sure. I trust you," he whispered before pressing his lips to Tyler's heatedly. The air in the room was stifling as they fought for dominance on the couch and then everything became too much and Jeremy needed more. Tyler pulled Jeremy from the couch and lifted him so the younger man's legs went around his waist. He cupped his bottom to keep him from falling and sped to the bedroom groaning at the feel of Jeremy's lips on his neck and his hands in his hair, kicking the door shut when he got into the room.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Tyler watched Jeremy's face intently as he worked a lube-coated finger into him, growing even harder at the look of pure pleasure that crossed his boyfriend's face. Jeremy dug his head into the pillow while biting his lip, looking absolutely delicious as he keened in delight. He thrust in and out for a few moments before crooking it and Jeremy arched off the bed.

"Ty," he breathed, looking absolutely sinful. "More baby…I need more."

Tyler complied and slipped in a second finger, sticking his tongue out slightly in concentration as the thumb on his other hand rubbed soothing circles on the pale hip. Eventually Jeremy demanded a third finger, rather forcefully, and Tyler chuckled before going back to watching his boyfriend unravel before him. Jeremy in the throes of passion was one of the most erotic things he'd ever seen.

"Ty…Ty I'm ready," he moaned while panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat and his hair plastered to it. Tyler nodded before kissing Jeremy quickly and grabbing the condom from the nightstand. Jeremy took it from him and broke the wrapper with his teeth before rolling it gently onto Tyler. He moaned at the feel of Jeremy's soft hands touching him and took a deep breath to control himself. He wanted their first time to be all about Jeremy's pleasure; he wanted to erase his past experiences and show him how sex was supposed to be with someone you love.

After spreading more lube on his cock, he positioned himself over Jeremy and captured his lips in a deep kiss to soothe him, bending one of Jeremy's legs and placing it on his shoulder. He pulled back and looked into his eyes, making sure this was what he wanted. "Do you trust me?" he asked huskily.

Jeremy nodded and kissed him deeply again, giving Tyler the answer he needed. Tyler took a deep breath before finding Jeremy's entrance and pushing in slowly, biting his lip hard at the tightness and the heat he was sinking into. Jeremy moaned lowly; there was discomfort, a lot of discomfort but he kept his eyes locked with the other man's as he pushed in gently. Jeremy kept one hand on Tyler's shoulder, the other cupping the back of his neck and he pulled him down for a kiss when he was all the way inside. He pulled back biting his lip and Tyler soothed him with kisses to his face and sucking on his neck. He didn't know how much longer he could stay still with Jeremy's tight heat gripping him but he was determined to give Jeremy the first time he deserved.

Jeremy breathed out through his nose slowly and Tyler kissed him again. "You alright?" he asked, his breathing harsh as Jeremy gripped him like a glove.

"'M fine," he mumbled, smiling weakly and lifted his hips experimentally, making Tyler groan and drop his head to the crook of his neck. "I'm not made of glass, Ty."

He pulled out 'til just the head was in and he pushed in slowly again, both of them moaning out.

"I know," he whispered, "but this—this is about you; I w-want to give you a-a real first time."

Jeremy felt tears come to his eyes at Tyler's words and he brought their lips together again desperately giving him a reason to close them. Tyler pulled back smiling gently and he pressed a kiss to his forehead. He slid his hand into Jeremy's linking their fingers together, raising and holding it above his head. His kissed his cheek before pulling out and changing angles and thrusting back in, hitting Jeremy's spot dead on. He arched his back and cried out breathily, nails digging into Tyler's back as his other hand gripping his tightly; legs wrapping tightly around Tyler's waist as he hit that spot over and over again, Tyler's name spilling from his lips like a mantra.

Tyler was in heaven; never would he have imagined that he would have the chance to be inside this beautiful, absolutely perfect man or that said man would be crying out _his_ name from the pleasure _he_ was giving him. It made his heart fly and he started thrusting faster, deeper, making it his mission to see the normally shy teacher lose all sense of control.

"Ty…Ty I'm…oh God, Ty!" he whimpered shoving his head back into the pillow. He was meeting Tyler on every thrust now, speeding their journey of ecstasy. Tyler reached between their bodies to stroke Jeremy's heavy member, his lips finding Jeremy's. He could feel the end coming, the way Jeremy was sucking him in was quickly speeding the process. Jeremy's hand tightened in his and he squeezed back, pressing it further into the pillow.

He thrust in, twisting his wrist while pulling and Jeremy flew over the edge squeezing Tyler's hand tightly, nails digging near painfully into Tyler's back and his toes curling as he cried out Tyler's name. Hearing his name fall so desperately from those kiss swollen lips made Tyler follow his lover into pure ecstasy, groaning as he emptied into the taut body and he collapsed on top of him.

Jeremy's heart was beating so fast he thought it would pop out of his chest. Tyler's weight on him was comforting and he ran his hands through his damp, dark hair. He pressed a kiss to his lover's sweaty forehead, sinking into the sweat-soaked pillow. His heart didn't seem like it would be slowing down anytime soon but he didn't know if it was because of their prior activities or because of Tyler.

"Thank you," he whispered and pressed another kiss to his head. Tyler raised his head and pressed his lips against his gently.

"I love you," he whispered back and Jeremy swore his heart started doing somersaults.

"I love you more," he breathed and pressed his lips to his again.

**Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

The sun flitted through the curtains of Tyler's bedroom and shined down on the two lovers curled around each other. Jeremy's head rested on Tyler's chest and the elder held the younger close to him. He had awoken earlier to answer nature's call and had been lying awake holding his sleeping boyfriend ever since. The images of last night played through his head like a movie and he couldn't stop the grin that splayed across his face; they had made love once more in the shower where Jeremy had ambushed him and Tyler wasn't one to deny his lover anything he wanted.

Jeremy mumbled something unintelligible and Tyler chucked, sweeping his hair off his forehead. He was perfectly content to lie in bed with Jeremy all day, possibly make love again if younger man was up to it. He was surprised, pleasantly so, that Jeremy wanted to go all the way and he was happy to give the scarred man a more pleasurable experience than his first time. He hoped, really, really hoped, that he would be the _only_ one to give Jeremy pleasure. He meant it when he told Jeremy he was the one; he couldn't see himself with anyone else.

A low groan interrupted his musings and he saw Jeremy's eyes flutter open, his hair mused and more than likely tangled from last night's activities. "Hi," he said softly, smiling through a yawn. Tyler kissed his forehead and smiled against it.

"You f-f-feel okay from—from last night?" he asked gently. Jeremy nodded with a smile.

"I'm better than fine…I feel great," he pressed his lips to Tyler's. Tyler rolled so Jeremy was on top of him, never breaking the kiss. He ran his hands up and down Jeremy's back, creating shivers that trailed down his spine. Jeremy smiled through the kiss, heart pumping fast as Tyler kissed him, touched held him, cherished him, _loved_ him. He pulled back and laced his fingers with Jeremy's as he brought them above his head.

"Last night," he sighed, a lazy smile spreading across his face, "was perfect."

Jeremy hummed and kissed him again. "It was _beyond_ perfect," he whispered when they broke apart. He sighed happily, "You're amazing."

Tyler smiled widely and he wrapped his arms around Jeremy as the young teacher buried his nose in the crook of his neck, inhaling his earthy scent. Jeremy sighed happily again; he didn't know if he would ever get enough of the man under him. In his current happy state his mind drifted to the possibility of waking up next to him every morning, of coming home to him and Katherine every evening. Tyler wouldn't have to work for so long since he would help pay the bills and they could spend lazy days in Central Park or the zoo and spend nights making love after Kitty and their other children were asleep. Jeremy smiled wider; how he had always _longed_ for a life like that and now it seemed he might have his chance; he was in love with the most selfless, gorgeous man who just so happened to love him back. As he felt Tyler kiss his temple, he thought maybe that life wasn't so out of reach after all.

**Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Kol climbed the steps slowly, a bouquet of roses in his hand. He was prepared to do _anything _to get his family back. He didn't care how long it took; he would get Tyler to understand he made a mistake and they belonged together. He climbed the last stair and was about to knock on the door when he looked into the window that saw into the apartment. What he saw made him nearly drop the bouquet.

Kitty and another man—Kol assumed it was the man Tyler said he was seeing—were cuddled up on the couch in front of the flat screen. She was talking animatedly to him and he seemed to hang on to every word she said. He saw Tyler walk back into the room with a big bowl of popcorn and stop to kiss the other man, a wide smile gracing his lips when he stood straight again before sitting on the other side of his little girl. He put the bowl in her lap and kissed the top of her head before pressing a button on the remote and turning to the other man who had an expression of pure adoration on his face.

Kol suppressed the urge to throw the flowers over the balcony and newfound determination made him go ring the doorbell. From where he was he couldn't see the three but he heard a distinct, "I'll get it!" and the thundering of little feet before the locks were turned and the door swung open. Kol's breath caught as he looked upon the face of his daughter for the first time in nine months.

The smile disappeared off Katherine's face as she stared at her father. She didn't know what to do; her dad, the one that actually _cared_ about her, was here with Mr. Gilbert, who was practically her other father while the man who left and didn't come back until now stood at the door. She looked back at the couch then turned back to Kol, not getting her voice to work.

"Hey Kit-Kat," Kol said softly, giving her an award-winning smile he thought would help win her over. Katherine continued to stare at him like he was a stranger and was saved from saying anything when the man with longish hair and glasses came around to see what had happened. He stopped mid-step, eyes wide in understanding as his eyes met Kol's dark ones.

"Ty? It's for you," Jeremy called, eyes never leaving Kol's. He felt his insides clench; what the hell was he doing here?

Kol exhaled when Tyler came in sight. His ex paused, his eyes widening in disbelief before rushing to Katherine and crouching to her level. "Go t-to your room sweetie," he murmured softly and she nodded. He kissed her on the forehead and watched as she ran into Jeremy arms clinging to him like she had just seen a ghost. Jeremy lifted her easily, her arms going around his neck and he nodded at Tyler before taking her to her room.

Tyler stepped outside closing the door and turned to Kol with anger alive in his eyes, "What the—what the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to—here," he said thrusting the bouquet at Tyler. "I just wanted to give you these and see Katherine."

"Well you—you saw her, and y-y-you confused the hell out of her," Tyler spat holding the flowers tightly. "Leave, now."

"Who is he?" Kol demanded. "I have a right to know who you bring around my daughter."

Tyler laughed sardonically, "You didn't c-c-care for the p-p-past few months, don't b-bother starting now."

"Tyler, she's _my_ daughter too and the only reason I didn't come sooner was because _you_ didn't tell me you were moving! You were supposed to let me know—"

"So it's my fault for—for wanting to move out of the—the apartment where you _cheated __on __me_?" Tyler asked incredulously. "For-forgive me for not wanting to be surrounded with th-th-the memories of you fucking your whore in _our_ bed!"

"You still should've told me—"

"I d-d-didn't have to tell you a goddamn thing Kol!" Tyler barked, his patience wearing thin. He wanted to enjoy the evening with his family and now that was ruined.

Kol closed his eyes; this wasn't how he imagined this meeting going. He needed to salvage things with Tyler before they got worse.

"You're right," he sighed. "You didn't have to tell me and I'm sorry that I simply assumed you would. You have every right to hate me Tyler."

Tyler sighed heavily, "I don't—don't hate you, but I don't w-w-want you around her Kol. She was heart-b-b-broken when you left and she's j-j-just getting used to you not being here."

"I don't want her to get used to that! I want to come home, I want to be here for her!" Kol implored. "Please, Tyler—"

"No," Tyler shook his head. "I told you Kol, I don't want you back. And—and I don't want you around Katherine at _all_. I want…I want full custody."

Tyler stared straight into Kol's eyes and Kol could see, with a sinking heart, that he was serious. Tyler wanted him out of both of their lives for good because he hurt them _that_ much.

"No," Kol said firmly, "I'm not agreeing to that."

"Then I'll take you to court," Tyler snapped. "All—all I have to say is th-th-that you're an unfit p-p-parent because you cheated and walked out on us."

"That would only work if we were married," Kol said angrily; how dare he try and take his daughter away! "You planning on making that man in there her new father?"

"He's been a better f-father than you have! He's actually been th-there for her!"

"You kept her away from me! How was I supposed to see her when you just disappeared?"

"You could've asked my—my father, since you and—and him are s-s-such good friends!"

"You know how your father felt about us! I couldn't just ask him about where you lived; he would fire me in a heartbeat! I couldn't ask him without giving something away."

Tyler blinked, "Even—even after all this, you're st-st-st-still afraid of what my f-f-f-f—what he thinks. This is why I don't want _my_ d-d-d-daughter near you."

"Tyler—" Kol started but Tyler cut him off.

"You need to leave; I have a c-c-confused seven-year-old to deal with th-th-thanks to you."

"Who is he?" he repeated desperately.

"Why do you care?" Tyler snarled and Kol jumped back at the hostility in his voice.

"Is he treating you right?"

"Are you fucking k-kidding Kol?" Tyler yelled. "How dare you ask me that!"

"I love you," Kol said quietly. "I just want to know if you're okay."

"I'm happy, Kol; happier than I've—I've been in a while. You're c-concern isn't necessary." Tyler slammed the door in his face.

**Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Jeremy sat on Katherine's bed, rocking the girl gently and humming a lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was younger. He'd been surprised when she had clung to him the way she had but he let her; he knew she had to be confused, upset even, that Kol had come back after going so long with thinking he wanted nothing to do with her.

She lifted her head, eyes wide with fear and worry, "Is…is he coming back?"

Jeremy faltered; he hoped that Tyler would stand by what he said and keep Kol out of their lives but he was her other father; what right did he really have to keep a father, no matter how shitty of a father he had been, away from their child?

"I don't know sweetie," he said quietly. "It's up to you and your daddy if he comes back around."

"I don't want him to come back, I want _you_ to stay, Mr. Gilbert," she said in a small voice and Jeremy felt his heart speed up and warmth wash over him. He wanted nothing more to stay with Tyler and Katherine forever, even adopt Katherine as his own one day, after he and Tyler possibly got married.

"I want to stay too," he whispered as she threw her arms back around his neck.

"I'll tell Daddy that he can't come back…we don't have room for him and Daddy was really sad when he left. I don't want him to be that sad again," she said with determination as Tyler walked into the room.

"Katherine, baby?" he said softly and she turned, eyes still wide.

"Is...Is Dad coming home?" she asked as she sat in Jeremy's lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Well that depends on you, s-s-sweetheart; do you w-w-want him to?" Tyler knew he didn't want his daughter near Kol but he also knew that it was Katherine's decision on whether or not she saw him.

To his immense relief she shook her head vigorously, "I don't want him to come back; I want Mr. Gilbert to stay! I really like him Daddy!"

Jeremy chuckled and kissed the top of her head. Tyler smiled before going to two of the most important people in his life and hugging them tightly. Tyler kissed Jeremy's cheek, taking in the smile on his face. He knew they would have plenty to discuss once she was asleep.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

After another hour of reassurances that Kol wasn't coming back, the exited the room quietly once Katherine was sound asleep. Tyler took Jeremy by the hand and led him to the couch, sighing and dropping onto it heavily. Jeremy snuggled next to him and he kissed the top of the brown head sighing again.

"I'm—I'm _so, so,_ sorry baby," he murmured against Jeremy's temple. "I didn't…I had no idea he was going to-to-to-to show up."

"Hey," Jeremy caressed his face with a free hand, "it's not your fault, Ty. I know you didn't expect that. I don't blame you at all."

"I-I don't understand why he w-w-wants to come back all of a sudden," Tyler said angrily. Jeremy shook his head and rubbed his stomach lightly.

"I don't know babe…he probably realized that he had two of the best people in the world and he gave them up for someone who couldn't compare. Either way, it's his loss," Jeremy said, a hint of a question in his tone and Tyler kissed him.

"Y-Yeah, his loss because I have y-you now," he murmured and they shared another kiss before snuggling into the couch, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for the reviews! You guys are awesome and I love the support this story is getting :) Now onto chapter 10, where the drama thickens!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

Kol tried his best to ignore the biting cold as he waited outside of Katherine's school. He was determined to see his daughter and get back into her good graces and if Katherine was willing to have him back, then perhaps Tyler would come around as well. His ex-lover had every right to hate him but Kol planned to change that. He stuck his hand in his pocket and rubbed his fingers over the small velvet box; he should have done this sooner, when he and Tyler were going strong, but he didn't have the money to buy the right ring. But since he started working for Richard Lockwood, he'd been making nearly triple what he was before and was able to buy an even better ring; the perfect ring for the perfect man.

He had been foolish in choosing Harper over someone he had a wonderful life with; Tyler had been his rock, his support system when things at the firm in Queens were going downhill and when the social workers were giving them hell for wanting to adopt a little girl and he had selfishly repaid him by falling into bed with his secretary. The pressure of work and the fights at home became too much for him and when Harper had offered him her shoulder, he started something he couldn't stop. He wasn't looking for love or a replacement, just an escape from the disappointments his life seemed to constantly throw at him.

It wasn't that he didn't love Tyler, because he did; the man meant everything to him and so did Katherine, but he had felt lost when he and Tyler were constantly fighting. He felt his world crash around him and he didn't know what to do to save it. Harper had been there in his time of need and now he realized that she was nothing more than a distraction from what he already had. Then there was Mr. Lockwood's constant disapproval and that didn't make things any better. Since he went to him for help the man had become like a second father to him and since they were so close now, he was hoping to persuade him to let him marry his son. He may not like it but he was also the best lawyer at his firm and he had a feeling the man would rather suffer through a gay wedding than loose his hardest worker.

He sighed and checked his watch; he should have been back at the office an hour ago but he wanted to see his daughter desperately. His missed the bundle of sunshine that was Katherine Pierce, the way she would light up when she saw him, the way she would run and hug him when he came home from work. And Tyler,his smile, his laugh, his voice, the way he would cry out when Kol was inside of him. He shivered; they would get back there soon enough. Right now he needed to focus on his daughter.

A bell rang in the distance signaling the end of school and not a minute later, kids were running from classrooms out to the playground. Kol watched like a hawk for any sign of Katherine and became dejected when he didn't see her. _Maybe she's still inside_ he hoped and he made his way to the first building.

The school was very clean and pristine; the white, marble floors looked as if they were just waxed, his reflection visible, the cream-colored walls looked freshly painted with not a scratch on them and the benches scattered throughout the hallway were unscratched and new. Kol would have never guessed this was the building where the elementary school children were taught but considering how much people paid per month for their children to attend Hillmark, he could see how everything looked so fresh. He walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing in the corridor as he looked into each classroom with a window, hoping to find his daughter. He eventually reached the end and looked into the last room. He smiled when he saw his daughter with her friends, his smile disappearing when he saw the man Tyler was seeing sitting across from them.

Kol dropped his hand from the door handle and took a step back. What the hell was he doing here? Did Tyler have him picking up Katherine from school now, they were that serious? He clenched his jaw as he watched the man laughing; who the hell was this guy? He looked like a wimp and Tyler deserved someone who could be the rock that he was for others; this man looked fragile and soft. Definitely not someone he thought Tyler would go for.

He scowled as he heard their laughter through the door; he needed to find out _everything_ about this man. He wanted to know who he was, what he did and what right he had to _his_ child and his man. He would not be replaced by this loser.

He watched them for a few more moments before realizing that they hadn't made a motion to leave and didn't look like they were planning on leaving for some time. He watched Jeremy open one of the drawers and pull out three packs of something, handing them to the girls. Then it hit Kol—_he's her teacher!_ He grinned as the man pulled out a stack of papers and confirmed his suspicions. He turned and quickly walked back down the hall; he was sure Mr. Lockwood would _not_ be happy with this. All he needed was a name.

He exited the building and quickly identified the office. He made his way to it and opened the heavy door hurriedly, not bothering to look at the pictures of the faculty and staff that lined the walls. He entered an office where a pretty blonde was sitting and typing away at a desk; she looked up when she heard him and he smiled winningly, "Hello, I'm thinking about enrolling my daughter in school here; she'll be going into second grade and I was wondering if I could get the name of the teacher so I could talk to them…?"

"Oh of course!" she said perkily and Kol smiled gratefully. She typed a few items in before turning back to him. "Oh, his name is Jeremy Gilbert and he's new this year. Great teacher, very popular with the students and he's such a sweetheart. I think you'll like him, it's hard not to!"

Kol kept the fake smile plastered to his face while he mentally rolled his eyes at her; she made him sound like a cute puppy. "Thank you ma'am." He nodded at her and left the building, the smile morphing into a smirk.

"Jeremy Gilbert," Kol laughed; this was all too easy! He walked quickly back to the street while dialing a number on his cellphone. He would have Tyler back in no time.

* * *

"Did Tyler tell you what happened?" Jeremy asked Caroline while sitting outside on the playground as they watched Katherine, Anna and Pearl play with some of the other children who were waiting for their parents. She turned to him shaking her head. "Something about Kol but he didn't want to repeat the whole story with Katherine right there."

"He showed up at the door—with a bouquet—and practically begged Tyler to take him back."

She scoffed, "He's an idiot if he thinks he's going to get anywhere with Tyler. He doesn't take that shit from people. I'm surprised he keeps doing this, this is the third time he'll have shown up with flowers."

Jeremy frowned, "Third time?"

"He didn't tell you? Kol came around weeks ago and waited 'til Tyler got home to talk to him. He told Tyler he wanted to come home and Tyler told him to shove it and that he wasn't giving him another chance. He came back twice, each time with bouquet but Tyler didn't even answer the door."

"I…I didn't know that," Jeremy said quietly, wondering if he should be concerned about this Kol situation. Even though Tyler wanted nothing to do with him the man was proving to be a persistent bastard. Caroline put her hand on his back reassuringly.

"He didn't want to worry you; he doesn't plan on taking him back, he's made that very clear to me and to Kol," she gave a light laugh. "Really Jeremy, you have nothing to worry about; he's all about you."

"He's Katherine's father," he sighed running a hand through his hair. "What right does Tyler really have to keep the man from his child?"

"A lot if Katherine doesn't want to see him," she sighed. "She was so upset when he left, Jere. I thought the kid would never smile again and Tyler…until he met you I thought he would have a permanent frown on his face and his stutter…it came back twice as much as before. Haven't you noticed his stutter has become less noticeable?"

"I…I never really notice it, actually," Jeremy said honestly and it was true; Tyler often told him that many people were put off by the stutter but Jeremy didn't understand how. Tyler was funny and intelligent; why should it matter how he said the words when _what_ he was saying was more important? He shook his head; people could be so judgmental. "I didn't even know he had a speech therapist until my cousin walked in on us and I found out it was her."

Caroline laughed loudly and quickly stopped. "Walked in on you…you guys had sex?"

Jeremy flushed and looked down, cringing slightly as Caroline gave her signature squeal, "She didn't walk in on us having sex—"

"But you guys _have_ had sex; I bet it was that weekend I had Katherine and you met Tyler's mom! I knew he looked a lot happier…he's practically been grinning from ear to ear since then!" Caroline laughed and Jeremy blushed even brighter. "So was it good?"

"What—I'm not discussing my private life with children around!" Jeremy said indignantly but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Truth be told, they had stayed in bed the whole weekend, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Caroline looked at him expectantly and he looked around before leaning in to her and lowering his voice, "It was _really_ good…it was incredible."

She grinned like the Cheshire Cat, "Tyler works hard at his job so it makes sense he brings that passion into the bedroom," she laughed at the look he gave her. "Okay, okay I won't talk about it anymore. You told me more than he has; he would _never_ tell me anything about his and Kol's sex life and it was only after they split did he tell me what the man's kinks were."

"Well I won't be sharing _that_ information with you…ever. If we ever break up, then he can tell you," Jeremy said firmly and she nodded, laughing. "Fair enough…though I don't ever see that happening so I guess I'll just have to wonder."

He smiled, hoping she was right; he didn't know what he would do without Tyler. The man had become everything to him and while it was scary, he loved him too much to really care.

* * *

"A teacher? His standards have lowered," Richard Lockwood scoffed as he looked through Jeremy's background. "He's taught at Princeton Academy and Fulton…these are good schools."

Kol frowned, "He's only 23 and he's taught that much already?"

"Must be a great asset…or he's been fired multiple times but I highly doubt it. Looks like he's never done anything illegal…no drugs…graduated magna cum laude…lives in a nice area, though his salary leaves much to be desired," Richard gave Kol a sharp look. "Why am I looking at this?"

"I just…I wanted," he sighed and took a deep breath, hand brushing over the box in his pocket. He opened it slightly and felt comforted by the cool, metal band inside. "Don't you think it's…inappropriate for Tyler to be seeing his daughter's school teacher?"

"What Tyler does with his…lovers is none of my business…or yours," Richard eyed him suspiciously.

Kol clenched his fists, "Just look at who Tyler is; he's high up in rank at Starbucks, he's next up to be president of the company and this guy is only a teacher. Isn't it…convenient that he would happen to teach his daughter and then they start dating a little after that?"

Richard sighed, "Last I heard she was _your_ daughter as well. Look Kol, I don't know what you're trying to get at here but if you're trying to get back into Tyler's good graces leave me out of it. I don't want any part of it."

"Your last name," he pressed, "has been in the news multiple times. Everyone knows defense lawyer Richard Lockwood is one of the best in the state—in the _country_. How convenient that, after the whole Winston trial was all over the news that he just shows up at Hillmark where your son's daughter goes to school?"

Richard stared at Kol, deciding on whether or not to believe him. Kol did have a good point; it _was_ rather convenient. Even though he made sure to keep Tyler's name and everything about his son's life out of the press there were still ways of finding that information. He looked at the picture again; he found it difficult to believe that someone like this Jeremy Gilbert would go through the trouble of trying to scheme something. He found it harder to believe, however, that he was really interested in his son. He was over ten years younger than him and why the hell would he want to be with a man who already had a child, not to mention a speech problem? Tyler was a handful for anyone, his daughter made it worse, and Richard couldn't see someone as young as Jeremy putting up with that unless it was for money.

"Thank you Kol…I'll take care of it," he said as he closed the laptop. Kol smiled nervously but didn't move. "Is there something else you needed?

Kol knew what he wanted to ask but he found himself shaking his head instead, "Nope, that was all." He turned and left the office, cursing internally for not being more of a man and asking for his permission to marry Tyler. He took a deep breath and walked down the hall to his office; at least one thing was taken care of. He could ask him another time.

* * *

Jeremy laughed out loud at the picture Tyler sent him of the three pink dogs he'd seen on the way to work this morning. He shook his head and texted back quickly, grinning widely. He placed the stack of stories he had his students write on his desk, prepared to read them when he returned from getting a snack in the teacher's lounge; they were spoiled at Hillmark and were provided with snacks like organic fruits, salads and small sandwiches that looked expensive. He turned as he heard the door open and saw a man wearing an expensive looking suit come in and shut the door. His expression was blank but Jeremy could see he wasn't here about one of his kids. His heart sank as he figured out who he was from a picture Tyler showed him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

The man looked around the room, his expression one of disdain, before looking Jeremy up and down. His lip curled even more and he sneered, "His standards have _certainly_ lowered. Though I shouldn't be surprised; he must be desperate if he thought you were the best he could do."

Jeremy stared at him in wide-eyed shock and his hands, unwillingly, started to shake. "I—"

"Let's cut to the chase, you know who I am," he gave Jeremy a cruel look, "how much?"

Jeremy blinked, confused, "W-What?"

"How much will it take for you to leave Tyler alone?"

The teacher's heart pounded, "I…I'm not sure what you're—"

"Don't pull that innocent act with me, it won't work," Richard snapped harshly. "I know people like you, Mr. Gilbert, I know what your endgame is and I can tell you it won't work with my son. Not as long as I'm here."

"Mr. Lockwood," Jeremy murmured softly licking his lips, "I don't understand—"

"Stay the hell away from my son you gold-digging tramp. I know what you're trying to do and I won't let you take advantage of him," he barked at the slightly trembling man. "You think that because you teach his daughter and he got you into his bed that you're entitled to some money don't you? That teacher's salary isn't paying enough so you had to find someone to support you, didn't you?"

Jeremy blinked rapidly, his mind going into overdrive as he took in what this man was saying. How could he demean his and Tyler's relationship like that when he didn't even know him? From the sounds of it he, didn't know his own son either.

"I don't know why you're under the impression that I'm with Tyler for his money," he said softly, "but I can assure you that isn't true at all. I…I'm in love with your son. I don't want his money; I've _never _been after his money. I would never take advantage of him like that, not after everything's he's been through."

Mr. Lockwood glared hard at him for another moment. "Prepare to pack up your office Mr. Gilbert. You'll be out of here by the end of the week," he slammed the door on his way out, a stunned Jeremy watching him go.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

Once he was back in his office, Mr. Lockwood slammed the door and threw his briefcase on his desk. He quickly flipped open the laptop and began typing letters into the search engine until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed the number, fingers tapping impatiently on his desk. He would put an end to this nonsense and find Tyler a good woman to marry; he would be damned if some little boy tried to worm anymore money out of his son.

"Hillmark Academy, how may we help you?"

"Hello, I would like to file a complaint against my child's teacher, Jeremy Gilbert. I just found out he is romantically involved with one of his student's parents."

* * *

The confrontation with Mr. Lockwood had left Jeremy visibly shaken as he sat in the teacher's lounge playing around with his salad. How did he even find out? What was going to happen now? And the even more pressing question: how was this going to affect his career? He bit his lip as his stomach swirled nauseatingly; he couldn't tell Tyler about this. He would blame the whole thing on himself and would possibly end their relationship. A lump grew in his throat at the thought of not being with Tyler; he didn't know what he would do.

"Jeremy? You okay, Hun?" Abbey, the assistant principal asked him. He forced a smile on his face and nodded. Abbey had such a motherly nature, always looking out for him.

"I'm fine, just tired. It's been a long week," he lied, laughing for good measure hoping he convinced her. She smiled in return, "Well if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here, okay Hun? Take it easy."

"I will," he said softly and this time the smile he gave her was genuine. She nodded at him and walked out the lounge. He sighed and sat back in his chair, covering his face with his hands. He wouldn't do anything now—there wasn't anything for him to do except to wait and see if Mr. Lockwood would make good on his threat. He had a feeling he would since he didn't plan on ending his relationship with Tyler anytime soon. He swallowed heavily and stood, throwing the nearly full carton of salad away before heading back to his classroom, hoping to make it through the rest of the day as calmly as possible.

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**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! This chapter is a sad one :( but we're close to the end of the story and this one will have a happy ending so keep that in mind!**

**I would like to send my condolences to anyone of my readers who has either lost someone in the Aurora shooting this past weekend or anyone who has been affected by that senseless act. It was a terrible tradgedy and I'm so sorry for your loss. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

Tyler knew something with Jeremy had been off; the man looked nervous and jumpy lately and he couldn't figure out why. He'd asked multiple times the past few days if he was alright but Jeremy would give him a forced smile and tell him he was fine. Tyler was a bit concerned; he didn't think Jeremy was cheating on him, rather he felt that he was keeping something important from him, something that the young teacher didn't want to deal with. He decided not to press and just wait until Jeremy came to him. He trusted that Jeremy knew he could tell him anything and that they could deal with his problems together.

He sighed as his the caller ID on his cellphone showed his father calling for the fourth time that day. He didn't know what the man's problem was; he knew he was at work. He looked around for any sign of Rebekah before pressing talk. "Dad, I'm at-at work—"

"Meet me for lunch, what time is your break?"

"Uh—in-in about an hour," Tyler said, confusion clear in his voice. His Dad _never _called him for lunch. Something must have happened.

"Ruth's Chris on 35th street. Don't be late." He hung up. Tyler stared at the phone, wondering what the hell just happened.

"Ty, you alright?" Bonnie asked kindly. He shook his head and smiled. "I'm fine, th-th-th-thanks Bonnie."

She smiled and turned back to her computer, sipping at her iced mocha latte. Tyler glanced at the clock and sighed; he had fifty minutes to mentally prepare for lunch with the old man and he found himself hoping, for once, that Rebekah or Klaus would make him work during his lunch break.

* * *

Jeremy was in the middle of teaching a rather interesting lesson on fractions by having his students play a game when Abbey walked into the room, a nervous smile on her face.

"Hey Abbey," his smile dimmed when he saw her expression, "what's wrong?"

"Principal Kendall asked to see you, said it was important and for you get down there now. I'm supposed to take over your class for now," she said in one breath. Jeremy's heart sank; he really should have seen this coming. He forced himself to smile as he turned back to his students, "Okay class, this is Mrs. Bennett and she's going to take over for me while I go talk to Principal Kendall, will you guys be good?"

"Yes, Mr. Gilbert!" everyone chirped.

"Okay, I'll be back soon," as he walked out the door he felt Abbey squeeze his arm in reassurance, which did nothing to ease the nervous elephants running around in his stomach.

Once he left, Katherine turned to Abbey with a frown, "Is Mr. Gilbert in trouble, Mrs. Bennett?"

"No Hun, he's not," she smiled kindly at the girl and she received a smile in return before she returned to playing her game. Abbey sat behind his desk and sighed; she hoped that nothing was wrong. She genuinely liked Jeremy as a teacher and as a person and hoped everything was okay.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Mr. Gilbert! Please have a seat," Principal Kendall said with a wide smile. Jeremy smiled nervously and sat in one of the leather armchairs across from him. The office was beautifully furnished and looked how anyone would expect the head office of a prestigious private school to look. Kendall typed a few more things on his computer before turning to Jeremy. "I probably should have done this sooner but how are you settling in here at Hillmark? I hope the kids are treating you right?"

"I—" he coughed nervously. "I'm fine, sir; thank you for asking. The kids are great sir, very well-mannered and very well-behaved."

"Well I understand that you are very popular among your students, even some of the older students have talked about how fun your classes are and that they wish they had you as a teacher back then."

"Oh that's—that's nice of them," Jeremy smiled. Kids could have some of the cruelest attitudes or some of the sweetest. He was happy he was mostly blessed with sweet children.

"And you've taught at two very good school before this one," he scrolled down the screen. "Why did you choose to come to Hillmark?"

"I've always wanted to teach at a school like this," Jeremy said honestly. "There were no open positions when I first applied so I tried the other two schools and they had openings. Someone from Hillmark told me they would call when they had an opening and well…here I am."

"Good man, we're glad to have you," he grinned and he folded his hands on the desk, becoming more serious. Jeremy felt his hands start to shake slightly.

"I hate to do this to you Jeremy, you seem like a great person and you're a wonderful teacher from the sounds of it but…someone called in with a complaint a couple days ago against you; they said you were seeing the father of one of your students."

Jeremy briefly considered lying about the whole thing and denying that he knew what the man was talking about but he wouldn't put it past Mr. Lockwood to do something even more drastic to get him fired. He sighed, "Yes…I've been seeing him for a couple months now."

"And who is he?"

He sighed again, "Tyler Lockwood. He's Katherine Lockwood's father."

"Ah, Katherine is a smart kid," he said and he pulled a file from her desk with her picture on it. Jeremy had the feeling he already knew who he was seeing and was just testing him to see if he would lie about it. He mentally cursed Mr. Lockwood for being a lawyer and for being Tyler's father; the man could probably figure out a reason to sue him and take all of his money.

"Well Jeremy, we do not discriminate against anyone here at Hillmark so I don't want you to think that's what this is about. What goes on in your private lives or the private lives of our students is no business of ours…until it begins to show in the classroom," he placed the file down and looked at Jeremy again. "You said this has been going on for a couple months?"

He nodded, "Since November."

"I see."

There was silence in the room as Kendall pulled out a rather thick book and placed it on the desk. Jeremy felt the nerves take over and he blurted, "Mr. Kendall, I know that it probably looks really bad that I've been seeing Tyler but…but it hasn't affected my work at all and—and Katherine is still getting excellent grades—"

"That's the issue, Mr. Gilbert. This anonymous source that called…he was concerned that you were, perhaps, favoring Ms. Lockwood in the classroom because you're seeing her father. I haven't had any other complaints that you have treated any of your children differently until this point but he seems to think that you have been inflating Ms. Lockwood's grades due to your relationship with Mr. Lockwood."

Jeremy blinked; of all the things he expected Tyler's father to pull, he didn't expect _this_. He would really go so far to get him fired as to pull a seven-year-old girl into it? "He thinks…he thinks I'm giving her false grades?"

"More or less," Kendall sighed. "Like I said Mr. Gilbert, I've heard great things about you from students and faculty alike and I can tell you're an honest man but with a complaint like this and someone questioning the morals of the school we're going to have to investigate the matter."

The shaking in his hands was visible now and Jeremy laced his fingers together, "So what does that mean for me?"

"I hate to do this, I truly do but until we investigate the matter properly…we're going to have to suspend you."

If Jeremy wasn't sitting already he felt that his legs might have given way. He could barely wrap his mind around what was happening to him right now. Just two weekends ago he was blissfully happy because Tyler had told him he loved him and now he was sitting in the principal's office being told he could possibly lose his job. He pressed his lips together to rein in his emotions as the oblivious principal kept talking.

"It will be paid, of course so you needn't worry about that and the investigation shouldn't take too much time. We'll have Mrs. Bennett take over your classes starting Monday so you can finish out the week and tell your students you won't be in for a while. I'm sorry that this is a big inconvenience but like I said, we can't afford for someone to question the moral of the school. You understand that, don't you Mr. Gilbert?"

He nodded numbly, barely registering what the man was saying anymore. He felt sick; how was he going to tell Tyler that he might lose his job because of their relationship? And Katherine, how was he going to tell her he wouldn't be her teacher for the rest of the year? He blinked as a thought came to him, "What about Katherine? What's going to happen to her if they think they find something?"

Kendall looked a bit uneasy at the question, "Well if we find that her grades have indeed been inflated…then she'll have to repeat the year."

"No!" Jeremy stood quickly. "Katherine—I—her grades aren't being inflated, Mr. Kendall, I swear I would _never_ do that! That wouldn't be helping her at all and I just—I want her to succeed more than anyone! If anything, I grade Katherine a bit harder than everyone else because Tyler's asked me to! You can't—whoever this person is, they don't like that I'm seeing a parent and I understand that but…please don't punish my student for something _I_ did. That isn't fair."

Kendall regarded Jeremy sadly, "You're a good man Jeremy and I'm sorry this had to happen to you but we're still going to have to investigate and that is still a possibility that can happen. If it were up to me, I wouldn't go through with this because I don't believe you would do something like that and Katherine's grades have been high since she started here. It's up to the school board and the School District of New York on how they will proceed." He looked at Jeremy sympathetically, "I'm sorry, I truly am."

Jeremy nodded dully and shook his hand, thanking him before walking out of the office and to the teacher's bathroom. Once inside he leaned against the door with his face in his hands and closed his eyes, trying to will his tears away.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Principal Kendall sighed as he watched Jeremy leave. He truly did feel sorry for him; he personally had no problem with the man seeing one of the student's parents. Hell that was how he met his wife and her son turned out to be fine in his class. It was interesting as well as suspicious that Jeremy had told him he had been seeing Tyler since November, yet he was only hearing about this now in the middle of February. If someone were to have a problem, wouldn't they have reported it sooner?

His thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang. "This is Hillmark Academy, Principle Kendall speaking."

"Did you take care of it?"

He closed his eyes, "Yes, Mr. Pierce, I just gave him the news."

"Good."

Kendall frowned, "What do you have against him? He's a harmless school teacher who happens to be really popular with my students. How am I supposed to explain why he's being investigated for an innocent relationship?"

"That's your job isn't it?" Kol snapped. "I don't care what you tell them, I just want him out. Make sure that happens." The line went dead.

* * *

Tyler clenched and unclenched his fists nervously as he walked to the restaurant. He'd tried calling Jeremy, needing to hear his boyfriend's voice at the moment to keep him grounded but he wasn't answering and now he was completely on edge. He licked his lips as his stomach swirled around nauseously; what did his father have to tell him that was so important that they needed to meet for lunch? His mother wouldn't be there to be a buffer like she usually was so he had no idea what to expect or what was going to happen. He hated being caught off guard like this.

He took a few calming breaths and remembered the exercises Elena had him do whenever he was in a stressful situation and he didn't want his stuttering to take over. He pretended Jeremy was there, holding his hand and telling him that everything was going to be okay. He really, _really_ wished he could hear his lover's voice right now.

After taking another deep breath, he walked inside and fought through the crowd to get to the podium, "H-Hi, is Richard Lockwood here?"

The hostess flashed him a flirty smile, "I just seated him; I'll take you to him."

"Thanks," he muttered and he followed her through the maze of the restaurant, somehow hoping that a fire would suddenly happen and everyone would have to vacate so he could make a quick escape. Unfortunately, no such thing happened and he came face to face with his father soon enough. After giving the hostess a small smile he sat down, coughing nervously, "Dad."

"Son," he nodded looking up from his menu. "I heard some rather…distressing news from one of my associates today."

Tyler looked at him in question, "What kind of-of news?"

"Well, his daughter attends that school Hillmark Academy and apparently there's a…scandal going on. One of the teachers has been seeing a parent of his student and now there's talk of inflating the child's grades and dishonesty."

Tyler's eyes went wide; how the hell did his father find out? He was pretty sure the story about his associate having a daughter at the school was cock and bull so how the hell had he managed to find out about his relationship with Jeremy? He never wanted to know anything about his life or Katherine, why was he so interested now?

"I…th-th-that's unfortunate," Tyler said faintly as he busied himself looking at the menu.

"That's exactly what I said. And when I asked him who it was you know what he tells me? He said the second grade teacher…and your son."

Tyler cringed; his father made it sound like the scandal it was quickly turning into. "Dad…I can explain—"

"There's nothing for you to explain, Tyler," his father said coldly. "You realize that he'll probably be suspended for this? Maybe even fired?"

He inwardly smirked as his son dropped the menu and stared at him with wide eyes, "Wh-What? Th-th-they can't do that!"

"Oh they can," he said simply. "They believe he's giving your kid false grades? She's probably going to have to repeat the year."

Tyler felt his stomach drop. "I…that's n-n-n-not fair! I n-n-need to sp-sp-speak with them, th-they're blowing this out of pr-pr-proportion!"

"I don't think talking will do you much good," Richard said solemnly. "The school board for New York private schools is very strict. They believe that one mistake can make the whole school system look bad. I don't think Mr. Gilbert stands a chance honestly."

Tyler clenched his jaw to keep from yelling; how was it that his day seemed to be going perfectly fine and now it was shot straight to hell? He wondered if this was the reason Jeremy hadn't called him back, because they were busy firing him.

"He would probably have a better chance of staying if you weren't seeing him anymore," Richard suggested innocently. "Perhaps you should end it with him and let the man keep his job; though I'm not sure they would let him stay at this point."

Tyler felt his world starting to crash around him; he didn't want to end things with Jeremy, they had been _so_ good lately and everything seemed like it was falling into place but now because of one person, everything was being ruined. He gripped the menu tightly; he didn't know what to do. He couldn't let his daughter suffer for his mistakes and if there was a chance that Jeremy's job could be saved if they weren't together then the obvious solution would be to end it.

"Think Tyler," Richard said lowly. "If you stay with him, he loses his job and your kid has to stay back another year. You don't want them both to resent you, do you?"

Tyler could feel a lump growing in his throat at his question. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was right. It would be incredibly selfish of him to make Jeremy choose between him and his job and Katherine…Tyler didn't know how his daughter got mixed up in all of this but he couldn't let her suffer because he decided to date her teacher.

Richard watched his son's conflicted face and he knew he'd gotten to him. He smiled inwardly, "Don't worry Tyler; you'll be doing the right thing, for _all_ of you. It just wasn't meant to be."

The single father nodded numbly, "Yeah—Yeah I guess not." He knew what he had to do and it was going to kill him. But he had to fix this, for Jeremy and for Katherine.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"We're sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Lockwood but surely you understand where we're coming from?"

"Yeah—yeah I guess I do," Tyler sighed heavily, trying hard to keep his tears in. He talked to the principal for a few more moments and asked him to let him know how the investigation was coming before hanging up, throwing the phone on the couch and dropping his head in his hands. He whimpered; there was no way out of this. He had assured Principal Kendall that Jeremy wouldn't do something like that and the man had his daughter's best interest at heart as well as his other students when it came to grades but the school board wouldn't let up. Everything became much more complicated when the higher-ups got involved.

The doorbell rang and the lump in Tyler's throat grew; he had finally reached Jeremy, who sounded shaken, and he asked him to come over. The last thing he wanted to do was end things but he had no choice; it was either him or his job and Tyler couldn't let Jeremy's career suffer because he wanted to be with him. The saying 'if you love them, let them go' rang in his head and he snorted bitterly. Slowly he made his way to the door and opened it, not able to meet Jeremy's loving, wide brown eyes.

Jeremy immediately sensed something off, "Ty? What's wrong?"

_Just get it over with. _He bit his lip and more tears gathered in his eyes; he loved Jeremy _so_ much, to lose him would be pure agony but he couldn't be selfish, he had to let him go.

"I…I heard about wh-wh-what happened at the sch-sch-school…with you—you and Kitty and I just got of the ph-ph-phone with Principal K-K-Kendal and…I don't—don't think…" he sighed, taking a deep breath as he tried again. "I don't think we should see each—each other anymore."

He heard Jeremy gasp but he didn't look up; he couldn't look into those deep brown eyes that would crumble his resolve in seconds. No, he had to do this for Jeremy and for his daughter, no matter how painful it was for him.

"You don't mean that," Jeremy said in a shaking voice and Tyler could tell it was taking everything in him not to cry. "You…you can't do this Tyler, we can figure this out, we can—"

"No Jeremy," Tyler interrupted him firmly, "no we can't. It—it's over. We should have n-n-n-never done this. I sh-sh-sh-sh—I shouldn't have put you in-in this position and I'm—I'm so s-sorry."

Jeremy wanted Tyler to look at him, wanted to see his eyes because he knew he would see the truth, that Tyler didn't want this to be over but he looked away from him determinedly. Tears were streaming down his face and he felt sick as he tried to fight for their relationship.

"Don't do this Tyler," he said thickly as he reached out a hand and suppressed a sob when Tyler moved away. "Please I…_I_ _love_ you. Please don't walk away from this, from us," he begged, lips trembling.

Tyler squeezed his eyes shut. "J-Just leave, Jeremy."

"Tyler please—"

"Go," he said sharply and Jeremy's heart sank as it hit him; _this is happening._

With a shaky sob he couldn't hold back he looked at Tyler one more time, hoping he would at least _look_ at him but Tyler was determined to burn a hole in the ground with his eyes.

"I love you," he whispered sadly before turning and walking away from the man who held his heart. Tyler closed the door immediately and leaned against it, sliding down with his head in his hands not being able to keep his tears in any longer.

"Come back," he whispered. "I love you s-s-so _much_." He sobbed painfully, wishing that Jeremy could somehow hear him through the door and run back, ready to forgive him. He began crying so hard he curled into a small, trembling ball.

"Please, Jeremy," he begged to the silent room. "P-P-Please come back," he whispered hoarsely, insanely wishing the other man heard him. But Jeremy never came.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for the reviews! Couple of more chapters and we will be at the end! I'm a little sad but I've got some other story idea with these two I want to explore, plus Wait For It is begging for my attention. Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries or characters associated with it.**

* * *

Katherine bit her lip as she pressed her ear against the door; her father hadn't come out all morning and she was almost positive she could hear him crying again. Ever since she and Caroline had come home to find him curled in a ball in his bed with Pom-Pom two weeks ago he hadn't been the same and she didn't know what could have happened to make him so upset. The mystery was solved when she saw Mr. Gilbert the next morning with tired, red eyes and he looked as if he had cried all night as well. But it was the way he looked at her dad that made her realize that something bad had happened between the two.

She tried to talk to Mr. Gilbert but he had started leaving right after school, leaving the children with the playground monitors to watch out for their parents and the next Monday, he wasn't at school at all. He had stopped coming over for dinners and her dad was no longer on the phone for hours in his room when he thought she was asleep. Every time she would ask about him the room would get quiet and her father's eyes would get glossy. Now he spent his nights crying, using his pillow to try and muffle the sounds but Katherine could still hear his sniffles if she pressed her ear to the door. She didn't understand what was going on; all she could see was that this was a repeat of what happened with her father and her dad, the best dad in the world was once again sad and alone.

But there was something different about this time; Mr. Gilbert had looked to be just as sad as her dad. She wondered if they had a fight; he was _so_ close to becoming her other dad that it would have been another couple months before she started calling him so. She knew Mr. Gilbert loved them, wanted to be a part of their family (he practically was), so why wasn't he here all of a sudden? It didn't make sense! What made even less sense was why no one was doing anything to fix it. And where did Mr. Gilbert go? He hadn't been at school all week! How was she supposed to fix it if the man wasn't even there?

She went into the kitchen and scooted one of the barstools over to the wall where the phone hung. She climbed up and grabbed it, sitting in the chair and dialing a number she knew by heart. She hoped she answered; even though it was a Saturday and Caroline's day off she was the only one the little girl could think of to fix the situation.

"Hello?" a voice mumbled sleepily.

"Caroline it's me…there's something wrong with Daddy."

"What? What happened Kitty?" Caroline asked worriedly, more awake then she was a few seconds ago.

"He won't come out of his room…he's been in there crying all morning and I don't know what to do!"

Caroline sighed sadly; ever since Tyler and Jeremy split the change in him was clear. She wondered if this threw him over the edge and he was now depressed. "Sweetie…your daddy's just upset because…" she paused.

"Something happened with him and Mr. Gilbert, I know it did! He's disappeared Caroline and now daddy's sad!"

"Well honey…they broke up," she decided to just come out and say it. She knew Tyler wouldn't mind if she told Katherine; he would be glad it would save him the trouble of trying to explain the painful situation. "Someone got upset that your dad was with Mr. Gilbert and they told the principal."

Katherine frowned; why would they be upset about that? "Is Mr. Gilbert in trouble?"

"He…he got suspended."

Katherine sighed; no _wonder_ her teacher looked so upset, he was going to get in trouble for going to the zoo and to the ice-skating ring with her and her dad and not inviting anyone else! And that's why he couldn't come to school! She heard a creaking noise and paused, hoping to see her father walk through the kitchen but no one came and she sighed again.

"Caroline I'm scared. What if he's never happy again? It'll be all my fault."

"No it won't sweetie," she breathed. "This is not your fault. These things happen and your daddy just thinks he's doing the right thing for you and for Jere—Mr. Gilbert. This isn't your fault at all."

The seven-year-old bit her lip, "We need to find Mr. Gilbert and make this right," she said in a hushed tone. "Daddy misses him; he hasn't stopped crying since last week. We need to tell Mr. Gilbert to come home."

"Okay, get dressed Kitty; I'm coming over right now."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Kitty? What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked surprised as he saw the bubbly girl and her equally bubbly nanny at his front door. She didn't say anything as she hugged his pajama covered leg tightly.

"I miss you Mr. Gilbert, so does Daddy," she muttered and Jeremy felt his heart clench.

"Come in," he sighed and closed the door behind them. They went to the couch and he sat, pulling the small girl into his lap, Caroline sitting on the loveseat across from him.

He gulped as he thought about what to say; how do you explain the situation to a seven-year-old girl?

"I miss you guys too," he said, deciding to start with the truth. He missed them so much it hurt.

"Then why did you leave?" she asked desperately. She knew they were in love, she could see it on their faces plain as day. So then why was this happening? "Is it because you went to the zoo with me and daddy and Caroline and you weren't supposed to?"

"Kitty I…it's complicated, sweetie."

She gave a noise of frustration, much like the one Tyler made. "But he misses you! He's always crying Mr. Gilbert and it makes me sad! Daddy hasn't been this sad in a long time…he wasn't even this sad when we had to move!" Her eyes filled with tears, "I've tried hugs and kisses and snuggling and I even gave him my stuffed animals but nothing works! Even Pom-Pom has tried to make Daddy smile again but he just won't!" her tears started falling and Jeremy bit his lip. While he was relieved he wasn't the only one who was heart-broken over Tyler's decision, his heart ached painfully at the thought of Tyler in so much pain because of this.

"He's like a shell of who he once was," Caroline said quietly, her gaze lost and distant. "He wasn't even this bad when he found out about Kol. It breaks my heart to see him like this." She turned to look at Jeremy and he was surprised to see a tear falling down her face. "I know he ended it with you because of your job but…he _needs_ you Jeremy. You made him so…complete."

"I…I didn't _want_ things to end," he whispered, feeling on the verge of tears again but he held them in bravely. "This job…I can _always_ find another job but he…he doesn't want me to give up the place I've wanted to work for so long. But he doesn't understand that…that I would give up _everything_ to be with him." He laughed and shook his head, one tear falling unbidden down his cheek. Katherine whimpered and threw her arms around him, crying into his neck; he rubbed her back soothingly and whispered words of comfort into her hair.

Caroline watched them sadly; this wasn't fair! They didn't deserve this—Tyler didn't deserve this. After everything with Kol, she thought he would never be happy again and then Jeremy had come into their lives and made everything better. And now…now because someone found out and complained that Katherine was getting special treatment from the teacher, Jeremy could not only lose his job but Katherine would have to stay back a year to complete the year without 'special treatment.' They hadn't told Katherine about that bit of information and she didn't want to see the look on the young girl's face if they had to tell her she wouldn't be moving on with her friends. She sighed again; life really wasn't fair.

* * *

Later that morning, Tyler's mother showed up at the apartment. Tyler didn't want to get up to answer the door; hell he never wanted to leave his room again. He just wanted to wallow in self-pity and misery but he forced himself up and trudged to the door. He opened it squinting, the sun blinding his eyes as if he hadn't seen it in months. "Mom? W-W-What are you d-d-d-doing here?"

"Caroline called and told me to get you out of bed. She has Katherine and she said not to worry about paying her for today since it's her day off," she looked her son up and down. "You look horrible Tyler, are you alright?"

"I—I don't feel good," he mumbled as he let her in. "I think I'm j-j-j-just going to go b-b-back to bed," he turned to do just that when she grabbed his wrist and gently pulled him into a hug. He felt tears spring to his eyes immediately at the gesture.

"Honey what's wrong?" she asked soothingly. She received no reply, he just hugged her harder. "Tell me honey, what can I do to fix it?"

"Y-Y-You can't," he croaked as he pulled away wiping his face. He was glad only his mother was here; he would hate for Katherine and even Caroline to see him like this. "There's n-n-n-nothing f-f-for you t-t-to do."

She frowned as she heard how prominent the stutter was; he was truly upset about something. "Tell me what happened," she said in a mothering tone as she led him to the couch. She went to the closet where she knew he kept extra blankets and pillows and grabbed a thick, blue blanket. She wrapped it around him and he mumbled a 'thank you' as she came and sat beside him.

"Tell me sweetheart," she pressed gently, "I hate seeing you like this Tyler."

A pained look crossed Tyler's face as he told her—as best he could through the stuttering—what his father told him, what happened when the school called him and how this lead to his break-up with Jeremy. Carol watched him sadly; it was clear how in love with Jeremy Tyler was and vice versa. The two were perfect for each other; they shouldn't have had to choose between Jeremy's job and their love.

Tyler sighed shakily as a tear trickled down his face. Carol felt on the verge of tears herself but she stayed strong for her son.

"I—I love him s-s-so much Mom, I couldn't—couldn't let him throw everything away f-f-for me. That would be s-s-selfish." He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to ward off more tears, pressing his lips together as tears leaked through and she couldn't take anymore.

"Oh Ty," she whispered as she gathered the broken man into her arms, rocking him gently as he cried into her shoulder.

* * *

Kol bit his lip as he watched Tyler's mom leave his apartment. He was stalking and he knew it but he couldn't help it; he knew the man was having a meltdown because of his break-up with Jeremy and despite what that break-up meant for him, he couldn't help but feel guilty that he caused the man he loved pain once again. He wondered if he would ever stop hurting him; he had only meant to get rid of that weakling so Tyler could be free to be with him but he didn't think he'd feel so guilty about it.

With a sigh he walked up the stairs and paused for a moment, debating on whether or not he should even be doing this. He was probably the last person Tyler wanted to see and the guilt at what he had done was eating him alive. But maybe if Tyler were to give him another chance, he could heal the broken man's heart and then he wouldn't be so upset over losing Jeremy. He could be the rock in Tyler's time of need and he could get them back to the way things were before he messed up. With that mindset he rang the doorbell and waited patiently for Tyler to answer.

After what seemed like an eternity the door opened and Tyler rolled his eyes and groaned when he saw him, "What now Kol?"

"Are you alright?" Kol asked concernedly; he didn't even need to fake it. Tyler looked terrible. The break-up was hitting him harder than he thought. He pressed his lips together and told himself he would be the one to get Tyler through it.

"I'm fine, Kol. What do—do you want? I-I'm not in the-the mood f-f-for this today."

"I just wanted to see how—Tyler seriously, are you alright? Are you sick?" he asked.

Tyler sighed and Kol could tell that he had been crying—and sounded like he was about to again. "I'm _fine_ Kol. Is that—that all?"

"Let me help you Ty," Kol said softly and Tyler snorted.

"N-No thank you. G-go away."

"Let's grab lunch or something," he said desperately. He couldn't lose him now, not when he was close and Tyler was so vulnerable and needed someone. "Tyler, give me a chance…please," Kol begged and Tyler stared at the man for a moment. Maybe…maybe things with Kol would be different this time around. Maybe they could try again and become better than they were before. Maybe Katherine could get her father back. He had ruined things with Jeremy and there was no way he was getting the other man back but maybe Kol could lessen the heart-ache just a little bit. Plus Katherine deserved to have her other father in her life, probably the most important reason to give Kol another chance.

"Fine. Where—where did you want to-to-to go?"

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

They had decided on getting hotdogs from a nearby stand and sitting on a bench in the park. The silence that enveloped them was awkward, mainly because Tyler was distraught and Kol's guilt was driving him insane. This was what he wanted, right? He wanted Jeremy out of the picture so he could have his family back! He shouldn't have cared about what happened to him; he had no right to come in and take his daughter and his future fiancé from him! Yet he was feeling _extremely_ guilty that not only had he caused someone to possibly get fired from their job and unable to find work in that field ever again but knowing that he caused Tyler more pain was more than he could bear and knowing Tyler blamed himself made it worse.

He looked at Tyler from the corner of his eye and saw that the man had barely touched his hotdog; his lips were trembling a bit and his eyes had a glassy sheen to them. He sighed and licked his lips. He had to tell him the truth, he couldn't let Tyler beat himself up over this thinking it was his fault.

"Ty…I'm sorry. For everything I've done to you," he said looking right at him. Tyler sighed but didn't turn to face him.

"It's going to t-t-t-take me a while to f-f-forgive you, Kol. Wh-Wh-What you did…it didn't j-j-j-just hurt me."

"I know…I just didn't know what to do and we were always fighting and I thought I was losing you. I wound up losing you anyways." he shook his head, laughing bitterly.

"Yeah, y-y-you did," Tyler said simply, looking down at his hotdog.

Kol realized it then; the only way he was ever going to possibly be in Tyler's and Katherine's life would be if he started making things right. He didn't want to be the conniving son of a bitch he'd been lately; he didn't want to be this person who plotted and schemed to get what he wanted. Tyler would more than likely hate him after this, he couldn't blame him, but the guilt at seeing Tyler so broken because of this was becoming too much and he wanted his daughter to be able to smile at him again someday. Maybe if he told the truth now, Tyler could take some time to forgive him and maybe give him another chance. It was a longshot but it was worth a try; he was tired of keeping this secret.

"God, I should have _never_ gone to your father!" Kol said remorsefully. Tyler stared at him in confusion.

"Wh-Wh-What do you mean?"

"I was angry," he said quietly and Tyler felt dread begin to seep into his stomach. "I went to see Katherine at her school and I saw him and I just got so angry that you…you were with him, that he…replaced me so," he paused and took a deep breath, "so I found his name and I told your father about him. He went to confront him, to tell him to stop seeing you and when he…when he didn't, we went to the principal and the school board and demanded he be fired and if…if they couldn't find any incriminating evidence…" he trailed off and swallowed heavily, "we offered them money to find that he was showing academic favoritism towards the child of the parent he was seeing."

Tyler felt all breath leave him as he stared the man he thought he once loved. This Kol before him…he was his father's creation; a ruthless, manipulative bastard that would do absolutely anything to get what he wanted, even screw over his own daughter. This whole time, Tyler had blamed himself for Jeremy's predicament and it had made him feel sick that he cost someone their career but to hear that Kol and his own _father_ went out of their way to get Jeremy fired and brought his daughter into it on top of that…he didn't know how he could ever forgive them.

"Ty, I'm so sorry—" he reached out a hand to cover Tyler's on the bench and he snatched it back forcefully.

"You're sorry," Tyler shook his head and gave a mirthless laugh. "Do you c-c-care about anyone but y-yourself Kol? He could lose his job and—and for what? Because you couldn't—couldn't accept the f-f-fact that I moved on? Because he wanted a f-f-family with me and you left? He's never—never done _anything_ to you and you…" Tyler couldn't even finish his sentence, his anger rendering him from speaking. He couldn't believe Jeremy and Katherine were going to pay the price for Kol's jealousy.

"Ty—"

"I can't believe that—that I was going to g-give you another chance to be in your daughter's life! Now I—I find out you're the r-r-reason she might have to r-r-repeat the year! How could—could you do this _to your own daughter!_" he stood quickly.

"Baby, wait! You see this," Kol quickly pulled out the tiny velvet box and flipped it open, revealing a silver band. "I want this for us! I want us forever, Tyler. I love you, I love Katherine and I want us to be a family!"

"What?" Tyler stared at him in disbelief. "This—you—I don't—"

"I love you," Kol said with conviction. "And I promise I'll spend a _lifetime_ making up for the wrong I've done. I'll take care of everything with Katherine and I'll make sure she's not held back. I'll never let you—either one of you—down again."

Tyler didn't know whether to laugh in his face or punch him. He stepped back shaking his head, "First—first you tell me that you got my b-boyfriend fired from a j-j-job he loved and g-g-got Kitty held b-back a year and n-now you w-want me to marry you? What th-the hell is wrong with you?"

"Baby—"

"Stop Kol! You and my—my father were m-m-m-made for each other, you really w-w-were! You can go to hell you—you son of a bitch, we're done! For good!" Tyler threw him another hate filled glance and stormed away, keeping his tears held in until he was alone in private and ignoring Kol begging him to come back.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

After calming down, Tyler caught a cab to his father's firm. He was tired of these games, of people messing with his and his daughter's lives for the sole reason of making them miserable. His jaw was clenching and unclenching in anger and he had no idea what he was going to say to the man once he saw him but he knew he needed the truth and he needed it _now_.

He thrust a ten at the driver and hopped out, quickly walking to the glass doors of the white skyscraper. He stalked to the elevator and jammed the button to the fifth floor, his eyes burning a hole into the elevator door the whole ride up. He was the first one out of the elevator and marched right past the secretary, knowing exactly which office was his father's even though he'd only been there once before.

"Sir! Sir you need an appointment!" the woman called behind him; Tyler could her getting to her feet quickly to follow him but he didn't dare stop. No, he was on a mission and he would get what he came for.

"What did—did you say to him?" Tyler demanded as he stormed into his father's office, ignoring the woman behind him.

"Mr. Lockwood I told him he needed an appointment—"

"It's alright Chelsea, this is a family matter," Richard said grimly. She nodded and quickly shut the door. He turned back to Tyler who was glaring at him, "What are you talking about?"

"Kol told me—me about your v-v-visit to Jeremy so wh-what did you say?" he repeated more viciously. He vaguely realized that his mother was sitting in the sofa near the window but he was determined to know what his father did to Jeremy.

"I offered him some money to leave you alone," Richard said nonchalantly as he turned back to his computer. "He didn't take it so I filed a complaint. You know, you've really lowered your standards…your brat's teacher, really Tyler?"

Carol gasped as she listened to what her husband was saying. Tyler's eyes widened and his heart pounded in his chest; why hadn't Jeremy told him?

"H-H-How could you?" Tyler asked him disbelievingly. "He d-d-d—he didn't do anything wrong!"

"He was taking advantage of you Tyler; I was only trying to protect you!"

"By threatening his job?" Tyler screamed back. "He wasn't hurt-hurting anyone…_we_ weren't hurting anyone!"

"You don't actually believe he had an interest in you, do you Tyler? Let's face it; you're not exactly what someone would look for in a partner. He's young, he's got options but you…you're a single father in his mid-30s with a stutter. What other reason would have to be with you other than money? He may have been in it for pity but you can only feel that for so long before it gets old."

The next words Tyler was going to say died in his throat. His chest ached painfully as his father tore him apart and demeaned his entire relationship with the man he loved. He felt tears beginning in his eyes as his father's awful words cut him like a knife but he was determined not to let them fall; the last thing he needed was for him to call him weak on top of everything else.

"Richard," Carol breathed as she stood, "how could you _say_ something like that about _our son_?"

"Oh come on Carol, don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing! This is why we shouldn't have let him run around with those men; all they wind up doing is leaving anyways."

"Th-Th—that's not true," Tyler whispered painfully, squeezing his eyes shut. "He loves me."

"Jesus Christ Tyler! The man is over ten years younger than you! Did you _really_ think he would see something in you other than your name and your salary?"

"_Stop it!_" Carol shrieked; she'd had enough of her husband tearing down Tyler like he used to when he was younger. She could see Tyler looking defeated and she couldn't stand it. "What the hell is wrong with you Richard? Our son stutters, _so fucking what?_ It's _not_ the worst thing in the world! Stop tearing your son down for something he can't control, goddamnit! It's not his fault!"

The two men stared at her in surprise. Tyler was sure he'd _never_ heard his mother swear before, nor had he seen her _this_ angry.

"I have stood by and done _nothing_ as you continued to belittle and criticize him for everything he's done but no more, Richard. Tyler is our son and we should be supporting him! You should love him no matter what he chooses to do with his life! We should be proud that he's so successful and is in line to become president of one of the biggest companies of the world! We should be happy that he's found someone to love that loves him back, not trying to rip them apart!"

"Are you drunk?" Richard asked incredulously. "You think it's okay that our son likes to have men in his bed? That he can't properly communicate with others? You think it's alright for your son to be a single father, Carol?"

"She's Kol's child too! That man—the one you call your best lawyer, the one that used to _date our son_—abandoned them for that harlot and to come work for you! How do you feel that your so-called best lawyer also abandoned his own child?" she sneered; her anger had definitely gotten the better of her now.

"So Kol didn't want to be around someone who was holding him back? Can you blame him—look at where he is now! It's your fault he left—that damn stuttering and that kid drove him away!" Richard snarled at him and he felt more of his confidence shatter. But he didn't have to respond as his mother was ready to go again.

"You are a _fool_ Richard—you really think that's why he came to work for you?" Carol shrieked. "He still wants to be with Tyler—he wants to marry him for Christ's sake!"

Richard was ready to shout something back and abruptly closed his mouth at Carol's statement. He opened and closed it a few times as he looked between his wife and son. Tyler wondered how she knew before he did but decided it didn't matter. "No he doesn't, he's with that Harper woman!"

"Kol wanted to gain your approval so he could ask your permission to marry him and he needed you to get Jeremy out of the way," she exasperated. "He played you Richard and you let him!"

"He…he didn't need to be with him anyways! Who cares what Kol wants to do? He'd be a better match than that…_teacher_! He has more to offer!" he sputtered completely caught off guard, his face turning red in anger. He gave Tyler a scathing look, "Were you that desperate that you couldn't find anyone better?"

"Do you hear yourself? Does it feel good to tear your son down like this? Why can't you be as proud of him as I am Richard? Why is it so hard to accept that Tyler isn't you?"

"You're damn right he isn't me! I would _never_ do half the shit he's done. My father is probably rolling in his grave right now looking at his grandson."

Tyler pressed his lips together, frustrated tears starting to fall from his eyes. He kept his head down so his father wouldn't see them; he was proud of what he had accomplished. Considering he had a disability to deal with, he thought he had done rather well for himself and for his daughter. But to hear his father belittle him so made him feel worthless, like the screw-up his father saw him as and it _hurt_ like no other to hear that his father believed Jeremy with only with him out of pity and money.

"You bastard," she hissed and she walked to her son and hugged him tightly. Letting go, she turned to her husband, "If _this_ is how you're going to continue to treat our son then I have no more to say to you." She grabbed her purse from the chair then Tyler's elbow and walked to the door prepared to leave when Richard called out to her, "Don't walk out that door Carol, we're not finished!"

She whipped around, cold furry evident in her eyes, "I'll do whatever I damn well please! I want a divorce you selfish pig! I could tolerate most of the things you did but this…this is _too_ far. You ruined another man's life to make your own son miserable. I hope you won't be able to sleep at night Richard." She threw the door open and made sure to slam it behind them, Richard staring at the door in shock.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my lovelies I'm back! I took a much needed vacation and now I'm back to writing for all of my stories. I happened to be re-reading this particular story and saw that I got some time fragments mixed up concerning Tyler and Kol's relationship. They were together much longer than three years; I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. Not a major part of the story but I thought I would mention it. Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

Tyler didn't dare speak until he and his mother were out of the cab and in their house. His mother immediately went through the living room and to the bar, grabbing two glasses and pouring and old bottle of Scotch. He followed her, watching as she downed the glass and immediately poured herself another. After her third glass Tyler decided to speak up.

"How—how did you kn-kn-know he was going to p-p-p-propose?"

She sighed and downed the glass again before setting it down and turning to him. "While you two were together he asked me what I thought of the idea. Of course, at the time, I saw no problem with it and we went out to look at rings a couple times. Then he ran off with that woman and I didn't think he would still be thinking about it but then he started coming around here without her. He claimed it was to help Richard with cases but he would often sit with me in the living room and ask me about you, if you were seeing anyone, if you had moved on. My woman's intuition figured he was planning something."

Tyler nodded and downed his own glass before refilling it. "He told—told me everything th-th-th—that they did and—I just c-c-c-can't believe…" he trailed off and shook his head. "How—how could they do that?"

"I don't know honey," she pulled him into a hug. "I knew your father could be conniving but I never thought he could take something _this_ far." She kissed Tyler on the forehead. "We'll find a way to fix this, don't worry."

Tyler nodded and downed another shot of Scotch. As much as he wanted to believe her words, he didn't think there was anything they could do to salvage the situation. He wouldn't put it past his father to bribe and blackmail the people on the school-board to find something that incriminated Jeremy and the poor man didn't stand a chance against their greed. He pressed his lips together tightly as a lump formed in his throat; he had to tell Jeremy why this was happening to him. Maybe Jeremy would hate him and never want to speak to him again but he deserved to know the truth; that he was being framed because Tyler fell in love with him and his father made it his personal mission to make him as miserable as possible. As his mother continued to talk he sank deeper into his depressed thoughts and he wondered if he would end up alone because of his father.

* * *

Richard clenched his jaw and sighed as his wife's phone rang and rang and finally went to voicemail. He ran a hand over his face; he was tired of this. He was tired of screwing up and disappointing his family. The butler came around the corner. "Mrs. Lockwood is still at her sister's house in New Jersey."

"Thank you, Harold," Richard bit out before stomping his way upstairs. He sighed as he made his way to his study and dropped his briefcase by the mahogany desk, dropping into the leather reclining chair heavily.

He knew that what he said to Tyler was harsh and completely uncalled for; he honestly didn't even mean half of it. Once he started going on Tyler he couldn't seem to stop and he couldn't figure out why. Tyler was never rude to him, never disrespectful or undermined his authority; he loved him like a son should love a father and yet there was something about him that made Richard want to tear him down. Perhaps it was because he wanted Tyler to fight back, to show him that he was strong enough to make it on his own; that, obviously, had not been what either Tyler or Carol had seen and the thought sounded foolish even to him.

His wife's words rang in his head and he covered his face in shame; he loved his family despite what either of them believed. He only wanted for Tyler to succeed; in this world, being less than perfect had serious consequences and his son had plenty of imperfections. He wanted to believe that this phase of dating men would be just that but deep down he knew that if it were indeed a phase that he would have gotten over it after college.

He also knew he was the main cause of his son's stutter. He'd overheard Carol a couple of times on the phone talking about how stress and stressful social situations caused Tyler's stuttering to present itself more. He thought grimly of all the times he would embarrass or hurl insults at him and he resisted the urge to hit himself.

He thought back to the past couple of days and sighed; what he did was wrong and he knew it. Destroying a man's career so as to save his son from humiliation was just his malicious side coming out. If he were to be honest with himself, he knew that something about the situation was off when he talked to—more like threatened Mr. Gilbert, he shuddered in shame at the thought. He realized that Kol had played this up to be more than it was. He ground his teeth at the thought of Kol; that conniving son of a bitch was the whole reason he was in this situation. Here Richard believed his lies and all Kol wanted was to get back into Tyler's bed. He scowled; if he knew that Kol only worked for him to get Tyler to take him back then he would have fired him long time ago. He also knew, deep down, that he _let_ Kol play it up because he wanted something to be wrong with his son's relationship. The idea of Tyler with another man wasn't pleasant for him; he wanted his son to be 'normal' like everyone else and he was secretly hoping that with Kol's betrayal he would be persuaded to date women. Now he realized that Kol was a coward, a dirty, scheming coward who only used him to get to where he wanted so he could win his son back after he abandoned him and his daughter. The thought made Richard sick; it seemed like a good idea at the time but now he was wondering why the hell he would hire someone who betrayed his son so deeply and turned his back on him and his own child. Richard knew he was cruel with the things he said to Tyler but he would never abandon him or his wife.

His mind was made up; he was going to start making things right. He didn't want to be like Kol; he didn't want to step all over people to get what he wanted unless he was in a courtroom. He wanted his wife back; he wanted Tyler to forgive him. _God_, he raked his hands through his hair; if his son never spoke to him again he wouldn't blame him. He'd been an ass to him all is life on purpose and he felt horrible. He hated that it took this long for him to realize it and he hated that his son was a 35-year-old man who believed his father saw him as worthless. That needed to change; he was going to make things right with his family no matter how long it took. If he had to spend the rest of his life begging Carol and Tyler to forgive him, he would. As he often saw with the cases he had; life was too short to be malicious and mean and the last thing he wanted was to end up old and spurned from those he loved.

He signed on the computer and typed 'how to control my anger' into the search engine. He should have done this a long time ago but he denied there was something wrong with him. Now that he was about to lose everything, it was blatantly clear he should have fixed this sooner.

* * *

Elena frowned as she watched Jeremy twirl his spoon in his Wanton soup dejectedly. So far the only thing she had gotten out of Jeremy the past couple of weeks was that he and Tyler had ended their relationship due to the concerns of parents and that he would possibly be fired because of it. She thought this was a load of shit; who the hell ever heard of a teacher getting fired because they were dating their student's parent? She scoffed inwardly; the New York private school-board could kiss Jeremy's ass. He was an awesome teacher and something as innocent as his _private_ relationship with Tyler should not have caused such a huge scandal. She heard him sigh for the umpteenth time; she hated seeing her cousin so upset and miserable. It was depressing.

"So how long is this…investigation going to take?"

"I don't know. They said that I should know by next week if they're keeping me or not."

"Hmm." They were silent for a few moments then Elena came around her desk and kneeled in front of Jeremy. She wiped away some stray tears that had started falling down his face, smiling sadly, "Jere, it's going to be okay."

"No it's not," he whispered. "I've ruined everything. I got my student held back a year and I'm going to lose my job and Tyler…I should have known he was too good to be true. He probably hates me," he sniffled a little. "His father has it out for me…I should've never agreed to that first date."

"But he's made you so happy—happier than I've seen you in a long time! You can't blame yourself for wanting to see where it would go with him."

"I know, and even though I shouldn't have gone out with him…I don't regret it. He's amazing Elena," Jeremy said painfully. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face as his heart clenched at the thought of not being with Tyler and Katherine. The man and his daughter had both stolen his heart and he had no chance of getting it back.

Elena patted his knee and looked out the window for a moment. She thought about how unhappy Jeremy was in high school; that asshole he dated had completely destroyed the boy she once knew to believe in true love. Being with Tyler and Katherine, however, brought him back and she couldn't have more relieved. She turned back to him and stood slightly to kiss his forehead.

"Normally I would tell you to be logical and choose your job but the way he talks about you…he loves you so much Jere. You've really been helping him with his stutter. It's practically disappeared since he started seeing you, which means he's less stressed, he's more carefree…he's happy. You need him and they need you; I can't believe I'm going to say this but screw your job, you can always find another one. I know you've really wanted to work at this school but you will _never_ find someone like Tyler." She bit her lip as she contemplated telling Jeremy this next bit but she figured Tyler wouldn't mind if it got him to understand how important he was to him.

"Tyler's been coming to me for almost a year now and believe me when I say he hasn't had the easiest life, Jere. His father sounds like a living nightmare and he was surrounded by people who would ridicule him and treat him like he was stupid because he stuttered. That's why he's worked so hard to get to where he is now. Then he was always stressed out because he and Kol were constantly fighting and they were being turned away by social workers when they were trying to adopt a child. After that fiasco his stutter seemed to be going away only to come back full force because of his ex's infidelity." She shook her head; Tyler was one of the strongest people she knew. After all of that he still hadn't given up.

Jeremy bit his lip, more tears falling as he thought about Tyler's betrayal; he couldn't understand how Kol didn't see how _amazing_ Tyler was until after the fact. How he didn't want anything to do with Kitty afterwards, how the man could leave his family and not even care and then try to come back later after they had just recovered. He felt himself getting angry; if only he knew where that bastard lived, he would give him a piece of his mind.

"But when he started seeing you…it was almost gone. I don't know how it is now because I haven't seen him since this whole 'scandal' started, I imagine it's come back worse than before." She shook her head sadly.

"I wish I knew what to do," Jeremy whispered hoarsely. "I thought that maybe since we're not together anymore…that maybe I would get to stay. But I'm just fooling myself; his father is one of the top lawyers in the country. He could pay them to find someone to replace me." He sniffed again and rubbed his dry eyes. He was tired of crying; he needed to figure out how he was going to find another job and sitting around crying wasn't getting anything done.

"Did you know the first time he saw you was at the Cheesecake Factory?" Elena said suddenly and Jeremy stared at her, baffled. "W-What?"

"I know it's random but I was just thinking about it. After I found out you were seeing him he came in for an appointment and we got to talking about you and how you two met and he blurts that the first time he saw you was at the Cheesecake Factory. His face got so red when he said it," Elena laughed at the memory. "He said he saw you and he literally couldn't keep his eyes off of you—I swore I wouldn't tell you any of this, by the way, but I think in light of the circumstances, you should know—and he told me he wished he'd had the courage to approach you then instead of asking you months later but he didn't think he would have a chance with you." She smiled dreamily, "It was the cutest thing I ever heard a guy say."

Jeremy visibly flushed while looking at her in surprise; he hadn't expected for Tyler to remember when they had first laid eyes on each other. "Really? I saw him too and I thought…I thought _I_ wouldn't have a chance with _him_! When he walked into my classroom with Kitty I _knew_ there was no way that someone like him could…and then we started dating and he told me he loved me and…God Elena I don't believe _any_ of this!" he said laughing through a new batch of tears. She laughed with him; she was thrilled to see Jeremy smile again.

"I have to be with him, job be damned," he said wiping his eyes. "I don't care if they fire me, hell I don't care if I never work as a teacher again I just…I _need_ him. I need _them_."

"Then go get them—and don't repeat _any_ of what I told you! He would kill me," she said and gave a surprised laugh when he launched into her arms and hugged him tightly.

"I won't, I promise," he laughed as he ran to the door. He turned back and whispered, "Thank you," before leaving. Elena laughed and shook her head, taking his nearly full bowl of soup and finishing it in minutes.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

After a twenty minute cab ride, Jeremy had thought of everything he wanted to say to Tyler to get him to give their relationship another shot. But as he stood at the door waiting for Tyler to open up, he wondered if he was too hasty in coming over. He and Tyler hadn't spoken in almost three weeks; what if he had moved on already? What if he and Kol were back together? His stomach knotted uncomfortably; he sincerely prayed that wasn't the case. There were plenty of reasons why Tyler wouldn't answer the door but he couldn't help the disheartening scenarios that were running rampant through his head as he waited on the doorstep. After a few more minutes he sighed dolefully and turned to leave when he heard a door opening. He turned and looked at Tyler for the first time since he ended their relationship in this same spot; it made his heart beat erratically and he was so relieved that answered that he stared at him like a lost child as everything he wanted to say quickly left his mind.

"Jeremy? Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing here?" Tyler asked curiously, heart beating madly as he saw him.

"I…I wanted to—to talk to you," Jeremy said softly. "I know you don't want to see me but just give me five minutes and hear what I have to say, please."

"Of course I—I want to-to-to see you," Tyler protested, chest aching. "Come—Come in." He stepped aside and let Jeremy into the apartment, catching his familiar scent, his senses going into frenzy. God he'd missed him.

Jeremy had his back facing Tyler when he closed the door in order to gain some composure. Being back inside Tyler's apartment, where he'd spent more time than his own was making him nostalgic and he felt he would start crying if he didn't start speak his piece.

"Jeremy?" Tyler questioned quietly and Jeremy took a deep breath before turning around.

"Did you end things between us because you wanted to? Or because you thought I would have a chance of keeping my job if you did?"

Tyler licked his lips and sighed. "I…I th-th-th-thought that if we weren't together that—that m-m-maybe they would allow you to-to-to keep your job. I…I never wanted to-to end things between us Jere; you know—know how I feel a-a-about you."

"Then why haven't we spoken in nearly three weeks?" Jeremy asked desperately. "I thought you hated me because Katherine might have to stay back another year—"

"No!" Tyler said quickly. "No—I—that's not why." He took a deep breath and steadied himself for what he was about to say next. "Kol and my father…they t-t-t-t—they're the-the ones that called the sc-sc-school with the c-c-c-complaint and th-they got the school-b-b-board to c-c-c-conduct this investigation because th-th-they didn't want us t-t-t-to be together. If—if anything, you sh-sh-should hate me b-b-b-because I c-c-c-caused this. I was so ashamed to f-f-f-face you knowing I'm the reason you m-m-m-might lose your j-j-j-job."

Jeremy stared at him in shock; he should have known that Kol had something to do with this. There hadn't been a single complaint from any parent until he started showing up at Tyler's apartment. He didn't think the man would go this far to ruin Tyler's life, wasn't cheating on him enough?

"I…I had no idea…." He trailed off, unsure of what to say. Tyler took this as a negative reaction and started babbling out apologies.

"I—I'm s-s-sorry Jere I kn-kn-kn-know how much that job means to-t-to-to you—you and I un-un-underst-st-stand if you d-d-d-don't want to-to-to speak to me anymore—"

It was Jeremy's turn to protest. "No Ty, that's not it! I mean…what they did is wrong but I'm not mad at you at all. You're as much a victim in this as I am since they wanted to split us apart." He took another deep breath. "But I don't want them to stop us. I…I _want_ to be with you Tyler." He had never been surer of anything in his life; no matter the school-board's decision, he couldn't let Tyler go.

Tyler's eyes got wide; he told Jeremy that he was pretty much responsible for ruining his career and he still wanted to be with him? This sounded too good to be true!

"W-W-W-What about your job Jeremy?" Tyler asked, his heart hammering and his eyes beginning to burn, "I—I don't want to b-b-b-be resp-p-p-ponsible for—"

"I love you," Jeremy breathed. "I love you, I love Kitty and that's all that matters right now. I can always find another job, it's replaceable but…I _can't_ be without you, Tyler."

Tyler's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. He loved Jeremy, more than he had ever loved Kol, he realized, which is why he couldn't let him give up his job to be with him. He had too much baggage and Jeremy shouldn't be trapped to him.

"I…J-J-Jere you c-c-c-can't throw everything away f-f-f-for me," he murmured and licked his lips, "I'm not worth th-th-that. You don't want to be w-w-w-with me; I have t-t-to many p-p-p-problems."

"I love you. I don't care if you think I'm making a mistake, _I_ _love you_ Tyler Lockwood. I love _everything_ about you; you're the most amazing man I've ever met and I know that Kol hurt you and I know you have a stutter and a daughter and I know your father will probably skin me alive but I don't give a damn about _any_ of that. I need you so much it terrifies me because I have never felt this before for anyone but I can't help it. I _need_ you with me."

There was a pause and Jeremy's heart sank as he thought Tyler wouldn't be swayed from his decision but that changed when Tyler took two big steps to him and crushed him to his chest, lips frantically seeking out his and he held onto him desperately. The kiss was wet because of his tears that began falling but he didn't mind it as Tyler held him tightly. His glasses were digging into the side of his face but he ignored the pain in favor of being close to Tyler again. He moaned with relief as their tongues met, his hands firmly planted in the soft, dark-brown hair.

"I'm s-s-s—I'm so sorry, Jere," he murmured pulling back and looking into the brown eyes he missed dearly. "I love you s-s-so much," he sighed as he reclaimed his lips more passionately than before.

"We're never letting _anyone_ come between us again, okay?" he whispered as he pulled back.

"Never again; the girls would kill me," Tyler said seriously and Jeremy laughed before capturing his lips again.

* * *

"Then call it off! What don't you understand about it being a mistake?" Richard snapped slamming his fist down on his office desk. The voice over the phone trembled as they spoke quickly and Richard pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Dealing with the school board of the New York private schools was a hassle, one he hoped to never go through again.

"Listen you incompetent fool, he's not guilty of anything, the whole thing was made up! So do yourself a favor and call off the investigation before I have _you_ investigated for corruption and accepting bribes. I want him reinstated and you will overlook the fact that he is teaching my grand-daughter and dating my son. Do I make myself clear?" he hissed dangerously. "If this does not happen within the next week I will personally see that every single member on that board is replaced. Do not test me." He slammed the phone down on the stand and buried his face in his hands, growling in irritation. The door opened and he looked up to see Kol standing there. His irritation grew as he stared at the face of the snake and he wondered how the hell he hadn't realized Kol's intentions before.

"Have a seat Kol," he said with a calm he was far from feeling. Kol smiled and took a seat. "How is everything?"

"Everything's fine, sir."

"Good. How's the Yearling case coming?"

"We're having some communication issues with the prosecutors but we should have all the evidence from them by tomorrow, next week at the latest."

"That's good." He pretended to browse his computer for a few moments, "How's Harper?"

Kol blinked, "I…we broke up."

"Oh? Why is that?" Richard asked turning his burning gaze onto him, his anger starting to seep into his voice.

Kol frowned slightly, "We—things just didn't work out. She was a little too…wild."

"Really?" he drawled. "Isn't that why you chose to leave my son for her? Because he certainly isn't wild, especially since he's caring for his—excuse me, _your_ seven-year-old daughter…_alone_. Did family life just not suit you back then Kol? Have you decided that it is now?" He stared hard at the man in front of him and Kol squirmed under his gaze.

Kol froze. "I...I didn't—"

"You must think I'm an idiot," Richard snapped glaring at Kol. Kol's frown grew and confusion seeped into his voice, "I don't underst—"

"You didn't think I would find out that the only reason you came to work for me was so you could have my blessing to marry my son!" Richard barked. Kol jumped and he mentally cursed.

"That's not—"

"Don't you _dare_ fucking lie to me!" he roared, getting to his feet. "I taught you _how_ to lie, I can see right through your bullshit!"

_Shit!_ "That…that was one reason—but I really did want to become a better lawyer!"

"So I would approve of you marrying my son!" he snarled. "I nearly cost an innocent man his job because of _you!_ I truly believed that he was after Tyler's money because of _you_! What the hell Kol! How do I know that's not your intention?"

"I…I love Tyler! I don't want his money!" Kol said vehemently rising as well. "But that teacher does, I can prove it!"

Richard laughed coldly, "Can you? I'd love to see what tricks you pull out of your ass to show me that! The man looked ready to cry when I confronted him! He doesn't have the mindset to scheme up something like that! But you…you have the cunning to go after what you want, don't you Kol?" Richard sneered at the man he once considered his best asset. "Tell me why you want to go back to him all of a sudden when you cheated on him with a _woman!_"

"I…I didn't know what I wanted! I didn't know what I was doing! That's mostly your fault, you know! _You_ didn't accept us, _you_ constantly put us down for being together and it was too much! I thought that maybe if I was with a woman you'd be more willing to take me on your team!"

"Well I didn't see Tyler hopping into bed with some woman so it obviously wasn't too much for him! Maybe you're just weak! At least he stayed true to himself and his daughter! Someone calls you a fag and you run off to fuck your secretary! Tyler kicks you out and you go without a fight! Tell me why I should give you permission to even _speak_ to my son?" Richard roared in outrage; he could barely think straight he was so angry. "I should have a restraining order made against you and have full custody of Katherine signed over to him! You're not good enough to be a parent!"

"You'd rather that teacher who can't even afford the tuition at that school raise his child?" Kol shouted back.

"You fool! He's around children every day! He's around _your _child every day! He's been a better parent than either of us has ever been!" Richard snarled. The guilt and remorse over how he treated his son over the years coupled with this situation and nearly costing someone their career was beginning to cloud his mind and all he could think was how he needed to keep this snake away from his family.

"Do you have any idea of the pain you've caused? How can you stand there and claim to love Tyler when you walked out on him! How could you concoct this plan and not think about how this would hurt your own child! How could you use your boss to ruin another man's life!"

"You're one to talk! You've treated him like shit all his life and since when do you give a damn about my child!" Kol laughed harshly. "You haven't even met her because you hate her so much so don't sit there and lecture me on how I'm an unfit parent!"

"I'm paying the price; believe me when I say that I am paying for everything I have done to him and to my family. But I'm going to make sure you suffer a lot more, count on that." Richard glared at Kol. "Pack up your office. I want it spotless, I want the Yearling file on my desk and I want you gone come tomorrow morning."

Kol stared at him, "You can't—"

"I can and I just did; get the hell out of my office!" Richard barked and Kol practically ran from the room.


	14. Chapter 14

**Almost at 100 reviews with this story! I'm so excited :) Well we've only got a couple more chapters after this and the story will be at it's end :( lets get this baby to 100+ reviews!**

**Thank you for everyone whose read, commented and reviewed, it's awesome you guys like this story. Now on with the chapter! Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

* * *

"He didn't!"

"I swear he—he did. I didn't know whether to laugh or c-c-cry."

"How the—what the hell would make him think you would even consider that after everything he did?" Jeremy asked bewilderedly as he and Tyler lounged lazily in each other's arms in the older man's bedroom. After Tyler had spent close to an hour apologizing for everything he had carried Jeremy to the bed and showed him just how sorry he was. Two rounds of mind-blowing sex later, Tyler was finally telling Jeremy what happened between him and Kol and him and his father.

"I don't know, babe," he murmured against his hair. "But I—I basically told him to go to hell and—and th-that I never wanted to-to see him again."

"Good," Jeremy kissed Tyler's chest, his hand caressing the other side gently. "I can't believe he might get Kitty held back for a year. I'm so sorry Ty."

"Hey it's—it's not your fault, none of us knew Kol would do th-that. I guess my—my father didn't either. He didn't know—know Kol did all of this to-to marry me."

"I bet that was a surprise to him. I'm sure he's furious now," Jeremy chuckled. "But he deserved that, with everything he said to you. That was wrong of him."

"Yeah he is. I know he was just saying all that to get to me but i-it still hurt," Tyler finished in a whisper. "Knowing that that's w-w-w-what he th-thought about you and m-m-me..."

"It's not true; none of it is true Tyler. If you only had a dollar to your name I would still love you. Money isn't what drew me to you. You have an amazing personality and you're a good person. Don't let your father's words make you think any less of yourself." Jeremy said firmly. "I love you. I don't care if you have a stutter…I actually think it's adorable," he said shyly; Tyler's breath hitched. "If your father can't accept that then it's his problem, not yours."

Tyler nodded and took Jeremy's hand in his, kissing the palm.

"Thank you," the single father whispered. "Th-Th-There aren't a lot of p-p-p-people who could put up with the st-st-stutter and you d-d-don't know how m-much that means t-t-t-to me."

Jeremy pressed his forehead to Tyler's and inhaled deeply, "I know you've been turned away a lot but they don't know what they're missing. I know people have hurt you and mocked you but it doesn't matter to me what people think of you. I'm always going to love you Tyler, stutter or not."

Tyler kissed his forehead and held him tightly, thanking God or anyone listening for bringing this wonderful man into his life.

"Is your mom really going to divorce him?" Jeremy asked after a moment.

"I—I don't know," Tyler sighed. "A—a part of me wants her to j-j-just so he can pay for all the sh-sh-shit he's said to me over the years but another part—part of me wants them t-t-to be able to work it out."

"I hope they can too. I know your father isn't the…friendliest person but she must have seen _something_ in him she fell in love with," Jeremy said thoughtfully. Tyler nearly snorted; there wasn't one good reason in the world as to why his mother would give his father the time of day now. Ever since he could remember his father cast her aside in favor of work and his fake acquaintances. However, he kept this to himself; Jeremy was a romantic at heart so there was no need to spoil his vision of happily ever after for his parents.

He felt Jeremy turn his head and the younger man looked at him for a long moment before kissing him passionately, pouring everything he felt into the kiss. Tyler returned it, overjoyed that Jeremy wanted to give their relationship another shot. He cupped the back of Jeremy's head and pressed him closer, needing to be as close as possible. They broke apart when air became a necessity and their arms wrapped around each other, holding on tightly as if they were being ripped apart.

"I missed you so much," Jeremy whispered and Tyler nodded, burying his face into the young teacher's neck. "I didn't…I had no idea what to do and I thought you hated me—"

"I c-c-c-couldn't hate you for—for something th-th-that wasn't your fault, J-Jere," Tyler said softly, cupping his cheek. "I thought—thought you would hate m-m-me for g-g-getting you involved in this."

"Never. This wasn't your fault at all." He kissed him quickly. "I know I'm going to sound corny but I would go through this all again if it meant I got to be with you in the end." Jeremy's smile made Tyler fall in love with him all over again. "I love you so much Ty."

Tyler kissed him fiercely, his feeling for Jeremy beginning to overwhelm him as they usually did. He had never felt _so_ much emotion for someone. "I l-l-l—I love you too. I—I didn't know h-h-how I was s-s-s-supposed to-to-to get over you."

"I don't know either," Jeremy teased and Tyler chuckled before kissing his forehead again. He sighed and snuggled into Tyler's chest. "Did you tell Katherine the news?"

"No, we d-d-didn't want to worry her j-j-just yet," Tyler sighed heavily. "I t-t-truly hope that th-th-they take p-p-pity on her, she's g-g-going to be d-d-devastated if sh-she can't go on."

"I'll see if they'll make a deal. If they let her move on I'll resign."

"No," Tyler said firmly. "No d-d-don't do that. There has to be—be another way."

"We can try talking to them but I doubt that will do any good." He sat up and turned to Tyler. "Babe, I told you I can _always_ find another job. Yeah, I really like Hillmark but if my resignation will let Katherine move on then I'm all for it."

"I don't—don't want you to give up your j-j-j-job if there—there's a chance for—for it to-to-to be s-s-saved." The single father cupped his lover's face. "You're—you're so selfless and g-g-g-good. I d-d-don't want you to-to-to take the fall for—for my father's and Kol's stupidity."

Before Jeremy could respond the front door was opened and little feet came thundering down the hall. "Daddy! Daddy are you here?"

The two men had barely covered themselves before Katherine ran through the door, surprise taking over her features when she saw her teacher. She froze for a moment before an ear-splitting grin stretched across her face and she screamed dropping her purse and launching onto the bed into the laughing teacher's arms. She threw her arms around him and held onto him so hard that Jeremy could barely breathe. Tyler laughed as he watched them for a moment before removing Katherine and placing her between them.

Caroline entered the room and she smirked at the two of them. "So I take it you two kissed and made up?"

"What's it look like?" Jeremy joked as Katherine latched onto his arm tightly.

"Are you staying this time Mr. Gilbert?" the bubbly girl asked hopefully. "Don't go away anymore. Daddy was really sad when you left and I was too."

Tyler glanced at Jeremy catching his unreadable expression. Jeremy smiled softly, "Don't worry Kitty, I'm not going anywhere for a long, long time." His eyes never left Tyler's, even when Katherine squealed and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. Tyler's heart sped up at Jeremy's words; it sounded like Jeremy wanted to stay forever and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

"Well I think this calls for pancakes! Let's go make some Kitty!" Caroline ran out of the room and Katherine squealed again before scurrying off the bed and following her nanny. Tyler shook his head with a smile, wondering how he got so blessed with the family he had.

* * *

"Well that's great you two were able to work it out. I had no idea Kol was so obsessed with you!" Bonnie exclaimed at lunch with Matt and Tyler the next day. "I thought he left you for a woman?"

"He did. Th-th-that's why it's so c-c-c-c—it's so confusing why he w-w-wants to come back," Tyler sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Either way, I don't th-th-th-think I'll—I'll be seeing him again, I t-t-told him to leave me alone."

"I can't believe he had the nerve to ask you to marry him after he told you what he did. He's either a really dumb bastard or a really cocky one," Matt said as he took another bite out of his hamburger. "What do you think will happen with Katherine and the school?"

"Hopefully they d-d-d-don't punish her for this—or J-J-Jeremy b-b-but I really don't—don't know what will happen," he sighed again as he finished off his steak. Every time he thought about the situation it made him sick.

"Don't worry; somehow it's going to work out and Kol will get what's coming to him," Bonnie said with a smile. Tyler returned it, "Yeah—yeah I hope so. Thanks."

"We should probably get back before the boss-man comes looking for us," Matt sighed. Lately Klaus had been riding all of their asses pretty hard and they couldn't figure out why. Matt had said it was because he was tired of Rebekah wearing the pants in their partnership since she seemed to always be in charge; Tyler wouldn't doubt if that was the case.

They walked one street to the Starbucks building and they stopped in the café for iced coffees before making their way to the seventh floor. As soon as they sat in their cubicles, Klaus rounded the corner and stopped at Tyler's.

"Mr. Lockwood, my office, now," he snapped and walked away quickly. Tyler blinked, stunned, before getting to his feet, sharing a worried look with Matt. The eyes of the other employees were following him as he walked some distance from his boss, not wanting to catch his wrath should he release it suddenly. When they were inside Tyler shut the door quietly, his stomach knotting uncomfortably as he waited for Klaus.

Klaus rounded his desk and sat down heavily, running a hand over his face. He laced both hands together and leaned his elbows on the table, eyes glaring right at Tyler. "Have a seat Tyler. May I call you Tyler?"

He swallowed heavily and nodded before sitting gingerly, lacing his fingers together in nervously. "Is there—is there s-s-s-something wrong, s-s-sir?"

"I understand that you filed a complaint against my sister for sexual harassment."

Tyler felt his heart drop; he should have known that would come back and bite him in the ass. Klaus was going to fire him, he had no doubt. "I…yes—yes I d-d-did."

Klaus glared at him for another moment before he sighed heavily, "When did it happen?"

"In-in N-N-N-November."

"Ahh, they do take a long time to process those for some reason," he said and sighed again. Tyler really wished he wouldn't drag this out; he just wanted this over with.

"You know you're the fifth person to file a complaint against her? The fifth one," he stood and walked to the large glass windows that took over the back wall of his office. He leaned an arm against them and his head against his arm. "My sister…I knew she wasn't cut out for this job," he laughed bitterly. "She seems to think that the only way to get anything in life is sex. Sex and money." He sighed and sat again, shuffling through papers. Tyler grabbed the armrests on the chair anxiously.

"S-S-Sir I—"

"There's no need to look so nervous Tyler, you're not in trouble. Now tell me," he leaned forward, "what did she do to you?"

Tyler felt beads of sweat starting to form on his head; he _really_ didn't want to talk about this with his boss. "She, um—I don't th-th-think—"

"I need to know what she did, Tyler," he snapped harshly and Tyler sighed nervously.

"I—well sh-sh-sh-she k-kissed me and sh-she grabbed me—"

"Such a slut!" Klaus spat so suddenly that Tyler jumped. "I don't understand how she's become so out of control!" He stopped and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I apologize for her behavior," he said when he had calmed himself. "Since this is the fifth complaint that human resources has received, she will be terminated of course. Honestly they should have done this sooner," he muttered quietly, going back to the papers on his desk. Tyler licked his lips nervously, deciding to keep his mouth shut. After what seemed like an eternity Klaus met Tyler's eyes again. "Congratulations Tyler, you've been promoted to President of Starbucks," he said dryly.

Tyler would have laughed at Klaus' tone if he wasn't so shocked. "Wh-wh-what?"

He folded his hands. "You don't look like the type of person who's after money and power so I know your complaint about my sister must be true. I had to make sure that wasn't why you filed the complaint because you were the next in line. Plus I've seen how she looks at you, she's become rather obsessed with getting you into her bed and it's...disturbing. You've been working here for a couple years and you have enough overtime and sick days to last a year, which easily makes you one of our hardest working employees…and I believe you have the potential to take this company even higher than it is now, certainly farther than Rebekah."

Tyler thought he might go into shock. "I—sir I don't know wh-wh-what to say—"

"You can say yes for a start," Klaus said with a small smile, the first one Tyler saw him give in all his time working for him. The single father nodded vigorously, "O-Of course, I—I would b-b-be honored."

"Great. Well I'll let you get back to your projects, we can handle all the paperwork and whatnot on Monday. Oh and send Ms. Bennett in here. It's about time I promote her as well, I'm sure the two of you will have no problem running this monstrosity of a company together."

Tyler laughed that time and nodded, his hands still shaking as he shook Klaus' hand and walked back out to his cubicle wondering what the hell had just happened. When he made it back and told Bonnie Klaus wanted to see her Matt immediately asked him if Klaus wanted to talk about his complaint.

"Yeah. Rebekah's b-b-been fired and I've been pr-pr-promoted to President."

* * *

After Tyler had left the office he had gotten a call from his father asking him home. He had scowled at first and nearly hung up when he noticed his father's tone wasn't as sharp as it normally was; rather, the man sounded worn out and exhausted.

This is how Tyler found himself telling Jeremy and the girls he would be home late for dinner and making his way to his childhood home. He heaved a heavy sigh before ringing the doorbell, his lips pressed together tightly as he wondered at what his father could possibly want now. The door opened to reveal a worn out Richard Lockwood which shocked Tyler; the man _never_ answered the door, claiming that was what the butler was for. He nodded, "Tyler, come in."

He stepped aside for his son and the two went into Richard's study, the sounds of their footsteps filling the silence. Richard closed the door once they were inside and immediately went to one of the cabinets underneath the bookshelf, bringing out a bottle of Jack and pouring two glasses. Tyler accepted his silently and resisted the urge to down it. His father sat across from him and finished his glass in one swallow, immediately pouring another. After a few more minutes of silence Richard sighed again sounding completely drained and met his son's eyes. "Tyler, I owe you an apology."

Tyler stared at him as if he just grew a second head, "What?"

"For this whole thing with Jeremy…I'm truly sorry," he sighed again and looked away. "Kol…he came to me with this pitch that he was only with you for your money and I believed him. He had this grand scheme that if he came to work for me that I wouldn't be opposed to him marrying you but when you started seeing Gilbert he lied to me so I would get him out of the way. I'm such a fool," he laughed humorlessly. "The teacher was outsmarted by the student."

Tyler was speechless; his father was apologizing, actually _apologizing_ for something that he did. He didn't think he could be shocked so much in one day. "I…I don't know wh-wh-what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, I don't expect you to forgive me…I've been a terrible father and you didn't deserve any of it. I'm just telling you in the hopes that maybe one day you'll forgive me. Maybe your mother will too but I doubt that."

Tyler looked down at his lap; with the way his father treated him over the years, he would have to be a saint to just forgive and forget. It was going to take a lot of time and a lot of work but Tyler was positive he would sooner forgive his father for everything he ever did than he would forgive Kol for messing with Jeremy's life.

"It—it's going to take me t-t-time to get over everything," he said quietly taking a sip of his drink. "But—but one day, I'll be able t-t-t-to forgive you."

Richard nodded and finished his drink. "I fired Kol. I'm having a restraining order made against him and I'm having my associates get full custody of Katherine signed to you if that's what you want. Kol won't be mentioned as the other father at all so if Mr. Gilbert wants to adopt her at some point, he'll be able to."

Tyler looked at him with wide-eyes; he was pretty sure that was illegal but his father was good with paperwork, "R-R-Really?"

Richard nodded and snorted as he downed another shot of Jack; Tyler wondered briefly if he should be concerned with his parents drinking but decided not to say anything. "I told that bastard I was going to make sure he suffered. I don't want him anywhere near this family or Mr. Gilbert. I'm also getting a restraining order made so he can't come within ten feet of Katherine's school."

The anger flared up once again in Tyler and if he didn't have a daughter to think about he would've found Kol and given him hell for putting Jeremy through this. He couldn't believe how far his ex went to try and win him back and it made him realize just how twisted of a person Kol really was.

"I took back my complaint to the school board and told them to call off the investigation; Mr. Gilbert should be able to go back to work next week."

Tyler looked at him, shocked again and he exhaled slowly in relief, "Thank you."

He nodded. "Now I…I know I've made it clear that I don't…approve of your lifestyle," he started and Tyler was even more surprised to hear slight nervousness in his voice, "but I'm willing to accept the fact that you…like men and that this Jeremy is…he's the one?"

Tyler couldn't stop the small smile and nodded. Richard sighed again, "Well it'll take me time but…I will stop pressuring you to find a woman and I'll come around…eventually and…I would like to meet Katherine if that's all right with you."

Tyler found himself being shocked once more; his father…he didn't know what happened to the man he grew up fearing and loathing but he didn't see any trace of him now. Perhaps giving his father a second chance wouldn't be so bad…maybe they could even be friends.

"Yeah," he said in awe. "Yeah y-y-you can meet her."

"Good." He paused again, "I should tell you that your mother and I are going to marriage counseling and I'm going to anger management as one of her…alternatives to divorce. Her other request is that you, Mr. Gilbert, Katherine and her nanny be available at 6 p.m. every Sunday for dinner at our house. Can you do that?"

"Y-Yeah—I mean I'll have to t-t-talk to them ab-about it but yeah, sounds good," Tyler wondered if he fell into an alternate universe. His father nodded and took another shot of Jack, making this his fifth one in the span of an hour; Tyler figured this must have been difficult for him.

"I know I haven't been the best father and I deserve everything that's happening right now but…I'm truly sorry for everything I've said and done to you these past years and I'm sorry it took a punk like Kol to make me realize what an ass I've been to you and your mother," his father said with a gentleness Tyler never heard before. "I don't want to end up like that conniving bastard and it's about time I made things right with our family. You and your mother mean a lot to mean and I know I don't show it but…I'm proud of you son. You've done well for yourself and I'm proud of you, truly I am. You may not believe that but I hope one day you will." He looked at the bottle of Jack again before pushing it off to the side and looked at his son again. "Tell Mr. Gilbert that I'm deeply apologetic for everything I've put him through. I would like for us to become civil if he is to be a part of this family someday and I would prefer not to be known as the intolerable father-in-law."

Tyler laughed and nodded in agreement; he would like for Katherine to have her grand-father in her life and if his father was willing to change his ways, he could definitely see that happening.

* * *

The doorbell rang rather loudly on Sunday afternoon, waking Tyler from of his nap. He looked at his younger lover who hadn't even stirred and was momentarily distracted by his beauty before the bell rang a second time. Groaning, he slipped on a pair of pajama pants and padded his way to the door, looking through the peephole. His heart thudded hard and he felt rage overtake his senses; he threw the door open and glared at the disheveled man across from him.

"How many times do I h-h-h-have to tell you to leave us alone?" Tyler snapped irritably. "You've d-d-d-done more than enough—"

"Tyler I'm sorry!" Kol pleaded. "I'm so fucking sorry you have _no_ idea—!"

"The hell I don't! Do you have any idea what you've p-p-put us th-through you fucking asshole!"

"Tyler please! I never meant to hurt you!"

Tyler laughed harshly, "You never m-mean to do anything to hurt anyone and yet I c-c-constantly have a p-problem because of you! Y-You make me sick!"

"Ty? What's going on?" Jeremy asked sleepily behind him.

"Nothing babe, he was j-j-just leaving," Tyler's eyes never left Kol. Kol looked pained as he watched them.

"Jeremy, I'm so sorry—"

"Don't f-fucking talk to him!" Tyler snarled. "St-stay the hell away from my family Kol. I told you I d-d-don't want to s-s-see you and neither does he!"

"Ty," Jeremy murmured placing a hand gently between his shoulder blades, eyes fixed on Kol's darker ones. "I can handle this. It's okay."

Tyler looked at his younger lover slightly confused. "You—you sure?"

"Yeah babe, I got this." His eyes never strayed from Kol's sorrowful ones. Tyler nodded, though Jeremy couldn't see and took a step back.

"What do you want?" Jeremy asked coldly and Tyler was surprised at his tone; in the whole time he knew the man, not _once_ had he seen Jeremy get really angry.

"I…I know I'm probably the last person you want to see," he started carefully, "but I just want to apologize to you and to Tyler and Katherine. What I did was wrong and I shouldn't have—"

"No, you shouldn't have," Jeremy interrupted, voice steely. "Do you realize I almost lost my job and your daughter nearly got held back a year in school because of your false complaint? If Tyler's father hadn't called them she would have repeated a year for no reason! How could you do that to her? She's never done _anything_ but love you, even after you left her!"

"I know; it was a stupid mistake and I'm sorry! I know that doesn't mean a damn thing to you but it's all I've got. I'm so, _so,_ sorry."

"You're right, it doesn't mean a _damn_ thing," Jeremy said hotly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before speaking again. "You need to understand that Tyler has moved on. _You _are the one who threw everything you had with him and Katherine away; you can't punish them for moving on. You caused a lot of damage and I don't think you deserve to even be around them after everything you put them through. I get that you hate me and that's why you did what you did but they make me happy; nothing you or anyone else does is going to make me leave them. Katherine, Tyler and I are a family now Kol so you need to back off. You had your turn and you messed up; now they're mine. Accept that and move on."

Tyler smirked at the defeated look on Kol's face his chest swelling with pride and love for Jeremy. Seeing this side of Jeremy was something he didn't expect but it was arousing; he desperately wished Kol would go away so he could take Jeremy back to bed.

He sighed heavily. "I wasn't looking for him to take me back, I know I've messed up any chance of that," he laughed bitterly. "I just wanted to tell you—all of you—that I'm sorry. I know Richard got restraining orders made against me so I won't be bothering you anymore."

He turned his back to Jeremy and walked down the stairs slowly, the two men watching him go until he was down the street and turned the corner. Jeremy felt pity for him; he did look truly sorry for everything he had done. He stood by what he said, however; Tyler and Katherine were _his_ family and he wasn't going to let someone move in on them because he didn't speak up.

"I've never—never seen you angry," Tyler's smirk never left his face as Jeremy closed the door quietly and turned to him. "It's pretty hot."

Jeremy laughed and rolled his eyes, "I don't get angry a lot…but he really pissed me off."

Tyler snatched Jeremy into his arms and kissed him thoroughly walking them backwards into his bedroom. Jeremy laughed again when he was pushed down onto the bed and Tyler's pajama bottoms were tugged off his slim hips, the laugh turning into a moan when Tyler kissed the insides of his thighs. Suddenly Tyler stopped and Jeremy whined in frustration, "Ty!"

Tyler laughed and kissed his nose. "Move in with me."

Jeremy gaped and cupped Tyler's face, "What—are you—you want me to?"

Tyler hummed in agreement and kissed the corners of his eyes, "Katherine's been asking me—me when you will…and when sh-sh-she can call you dad."

Jeremy sat up, heart filled with elation and joy at what this meant for his and Tyler's relationship. "You're sure? It can wait Tyler; I don't want to rush you—"

Tyler silenced him with a deep kiss. Jeremy held him tightly as their tongues danced and he moaned at the contact. Tyler pulled back, "I'm asking _you_ to—to move in with me Jeremy. But you d-d-d-don't have to say yes if you're not—"

"Of course I want to move in with you!" Jeremy said quickly and Tyler laughed as his face turned red. "I just want to make sure it's alright with Katherine too."

"Trust me; she wants you h-h-here. She's been asking for weeks," Tyler said fondly. Jeremy was touched that Katherine loved him that much already.

"Then I think you have your answer," Jeremy whispered and he leaned up to kiss Tyler.

* * *

**Reviews are love!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for all the reviews! I love all of my loyal readers and reviewers and I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate you :) This is the last chapter of the story and then the epilogue :) this chapter and the epilogue were my favorite to write so please please PLEASE review and tell me what you think! Thank-you and Happy Reading! Oh and if any of you guys read Wait for it it will be updated later tonight or tomorrow. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

* * *

"I don't think I've ever been so nervous for anything in my entire life," Jeremy whispered as the four stared at the big house. Tyler couldn't have agreed more.

"I know—know babe. I'm t-t-terrified."

"You guys are scaring Katherine!" Caroline hissed and they had the decency to look bashful. Tyler crouched down to the girl's level. "Baby, you—you okay?"

"Is Grandpa a bad man?" she asked in a small voice. "I always hear you and Caroline and Mr. Gilbert say how mean he is."

Tyler chuckled, inwardly cursing at planting an image of his father in her head when he was obviously trying to make an effort. "He—he's not like that anymore b-baby. He's…he can be—be scary sometimes but he's not—not bad at all. Everything will be fine, I promise."

"Okay," she whispered and clung to his leg as he stood up. With a sigh he grabbed her hand and Jeremy's and walked to the house, Caroline following them. They were greeted by the butler and led into the sitting room where Carol was waiting for them. She smiled brightly and embraced them all, hugging Jeremy longer than all of them as she whispered how happy she was to see him.

"Thank you for coming. I know this couldn't have been an easy decision after…everything," she coughed lightly. "But Richard wants us to work on being a family and I won't deny him that chance."

Jeremy nodded in understanding, "It's no problem, really. I would like for all of us to become civil." He felt Tyler squeeze his hand reassuringly as they all took a seat. They were chatting comfortably when Richard walked into the room. The change in the atmosphere was noticeably tenser as he kissed his wife's cheek. He nodded at all of them before approaching Katherine and Caroline.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Richard, Tyler's father," he said holding his hand out to Caroline. She blinked in surprise before shaking it.

"I'm Caroline, Katherine's nanny. It's a pleasure to meet you," Caroline said with a dazzling smile. Tyler couldn't tell if she was serious about it being a pleasure or not.

Richard smiled back at her before looking down at Katherine, who was gazing up at him with wide eyes; he gave his best smile to her. "You must be Katherine. I've heard a lot about you."

Katherine looked at Tyler who nodded reassuringly. The girl looked back at her grandpa and smiled widely. "Nice to meet you grandpa!" she chirped with her chipmunk smile. Richard laughed and the butler chose that moment to call everyone for dinner. Carol gave her husband a small smile, pleased at his attempt at making this work before following her granddaughter and her nanny into the dining room. Tyler and Jeremy made to follow but Jeremy stopped when Richard placed a hand on his shoulder.

"A word Mr. Gilbert...please," Richard asked. Jeremy looked at Tyler in surprise before following Mr. Lockwood out to the gardens. They walked in silence for a moment before Richard stopped and turned to look at Jeremy; the young teacher was surprised to see an expression of regret and full of apologies.

"I wanted to apologize for everything I put you, Tyler and Katherine through," he started solemnly. "It wasn't right of me to come between you that way and it wasn't right that I made such a serious accusation. I have no excuses for what I did and I take full responsibility it's just..." he sighed and Jeremy's stomach bubbled in anticipation. "Tyler is my only son. He is my only heir and I know people who have used him because of it. He's been ridiculed and mocked because of his stutter all his life and I know I haven't made that any better. I wanted him to be able to present himself so that people wouldn't take advantage of him and he wouldn't be played for a fool but he's done well for himself. I'm...I'm proud of him, Jeremy, yet when I tell him that now, I know he doesn't believe me. He thinks I see him as worthless and as a screw-up—I can't blame him, that's what I've called him all his life—but it's not true," he looked off to the side and Jeremy swore he saw tears starting to gather in the man's eyes.

"Sometimes men are worse than women when it comes to revenge and money. Some will do anything to get it—even take advantage of someone because of their disability. I understand that isn't the case with you. You love my son and I knew that even my threat wouldn't scare you away. I just wanted to make sure that you were with him for the right reasons. Many people wouldn't put up with a man that stutters let alone a single parent but that hasn't stopped you either."

Jeremy shook his head, "Mr. Lockwood—"

"Richard, please. I daresay we'll become family rather soon, don't you think?" Jeremy blushed and Richard chuckled.

"Richard," Jeremy tried again as softly as before, "I appreciate that and I accept your apology. I know that Kol set this whole thing up and deceived you but you have to know that I love Tyler. His stutter doesn't matter to me at all, it's a part of who he is. I won't stand here and tell you I won't hurt him because there will be times where we'll fight and disagree but Tyler...he's who I've been waiting for my whole life. I'm really lucky," Jeremy said truthfully. Richard smiled and held out his hand.

"So is Tyler, Jeremy. I'm relieved to know my son is in good hands," he murmured and Jeremy shook it firmly.

"Thank you, Richard."

The two made their way back to the dining room and Jeremy took his seat next to Tyler while Richard sat at the head of the table, his wife at the other end. Tyler looked at Jeremy questioningly and Jeremy mouthed 'later' to him. An awkward silence took over the room again but they were spared the plight of making conversation when the first course was brought out. By the third course no one had spoken still, until Katherine broke it with her curiosity.

"What are you drinking Grandpa?"

The man looked caught off guard before coughing and swallowing his bite of potato, "It's Jack Daniels."

"Is it good? Can I try some?" she asked with eyes full of curiosity. Tyler and Jeremy shared a look; he hoped that his father wouldn't let her…

"You don't want any of this, you won't like it and it's not for children to drink."

"Oh, okay," she said dejectedly before eating slower than before. Richard looked alarmed before coughing and speaking again, "But I have something I think you'll like. Do you like strawberries?"

He sighed inwardly in relief when her bright smile returned, "I love strawberries!"

"Then I know the perfect drink for you." He snapped his fingers and called the butler. "Tell Marcel to make a strawberry daiquiri—no alcohol, it's for the little one."

Tyler smiled warmly as he watched them; this may just work after all. The mood at the table shifted then and everyone began to ease up; everyone laughed when Katherine exclaimed at how good the drink was and if she could have another. Tyler felt relief washing over him and he smiled at Jeremy who smiled back and he knew he was thinking the same thing.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The rest of spring came and went and soon it was the beginning of summer. Since both Katherine and Jeremy had their summers off they spent their days with Caroline mostly at the beach, the park, and the zoo.

Since Jeremy had moved in, the family of three had found a bigger apartment in the same complex and they moved Caroline from her shabby apartment in her unsafe neighborhood into their old one. Tyler covered the rent for the first two months and he and Jeremy had decided to give her a considerable raise for everything she did. Caroline had cried and thanked them profusely but Tyler had assured her that she was family and he didn't mind doing this for her after everything she had done for him. It was also convenient for them that Caroline was now only three stories down from Katherine as opposed to eight blocks away.

Katherine had taken to calling Jeremy papa and the man couldn't have been more elated. It made his heart swell to know that Katherine looked to him as a father figure and she loved him nearly as much as he loved her. Tyler was thrilled that his family was coming together the way he had always dreamed it would. His relationship with his mother was better than ever; his relationship with his father was a work in progress but it was slowly starting to become less strained. Richard was even speaking civilly with Jeremy; he'd even caught them laughing together a couple of times, which was more than he expected. Tyler's life had come together in every way and he couldn't have been happier. He was especially happy that his mother had told him that she saw Jeremy as her second son; he knew that since he lost his parents when he was younger that he had always wanted a family. He felt that with his parent's acceptance that Jeremy would be able to lessen his heart-ache.

There was just one thing he wanted to change and he wanted to do it soon. He didn't think Jeremy would be opposed to the idea but he wanted to do it right; after all, he only planned on doing it once so why not make it special?

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

The past few of months were like living in another world to Jeremy; he didn't think it was possible to be so happy every single day. It came out to the school that the investigation was a 'misunderstanding' and he was actually given a generous raise so as to make him stay. He received an overwhelming amount of support from not only the teachers and staff members but his students, who dubbed Jeremy the 'best teacher at the school.'

Elena had been sad to see her cousin leave her but she was just as happy that he and Tyler were able to work things out. The two managed to get together once a week for dinner and she came by when she could to see Tyler and the girls. Jeremy had laughed the first time he'd introduced her to them; the resemblance between Katherine and her had Tyler wondering if he had adopted her daughter, which she hastily denied. He could tell his cousin wasn't used to the amount of excitement that he and Tyler often dealt with but she adapted quickly.

"I can see why you like them so much Jere," she said when she as they watched the three in the kitchen. "They're a lot of fun to be around."

Damon had suggested that he and Elena follow in Tyler's and Jeremy's footsteps and asked Elena to move in with him, which Elena immediately said yes to. Jeremy wondered which one of them would get married first but he quickly dismissed the thought; he wasn't the competitive type and whenever he and Tyler decided that the time was right, they would be ready.

At the end of July was Tyler's 36th birthday, Katherine's birthday being a day before; he was awoken to breakfast in bed from his boyfriend, his daughter and Caroline. They spent the day at a water park with Katherine and her friends and Katherine spent the night at Anna and Pearl's, leaving Jeremy free to take Tyler to a romantic dinner in the city. After dinner the two strolled around Central Park near the large fountain, enjoying the late summer air and each other.

"Thank you for tonight," Tyler murmured and Jeremy accepted a kiss from him.

"Of course, it's not every day you turn thirty-six," Jeremy teased. Tyler shook his head, "Thirty-six…I'm getting so—so old and y-you're only 24..."

"Well it's a good thing I have a thing for older, more mature guys," Jeremy smiled as he cupped Tyler's face and kissed him.

"I feel like—like one of those c-cougars Caroline always talks about that d-d-date younger guys."

"You don't even compare, you're not a creep like some of them."

"Good to know," Tyler laughed and kissed his palm. His hand brushed against the little box inside his pocket and his pressed his lips together; he had been waiting for the right time to do it but he hadn't found an opportune moment. Now he figured was probably as good a time as any.

"Jeremy," he began softly, heart pounding at what he was about to do. Jeremy looked at him as he came to a stop next to the fountain.

"Do you remember when we—we first saw each other? At the—the Cheesecake Factory?"

Jeremy nodded, "I didn't think you would still remember that."

"O-Of course I do. I remember thinking that you were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen and th-th-that if I ever got the chance t-t-to know you…th-th-that I would n-never let you go. Then I was—was given the opportunity and I nearly m-m-messed it up because I let people come between us but—but I will never make that mistake again. I know that I d-d-don't want to be without you Jeremy. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Tyler said softly, heart beating so fast he was surprised everyone around them didn't hear it. As the fountain shot water high into the sky he dropped to one knee and presented the little black box that held a diamond ring with a platinum band. Jeremy's eyes went so wide he resembled a cartoon.

"Tyler," he breathed placing a hand over his mouth unconsciously.

"Jeremy, w-w-w-will you m-marry me?" Tyler asked as his hands shook but he somehow held the tiny box steady.

The young teacher blinked owlishly before he burst into tears. "Yes," he choked out. "God yes, I love you," he breathed as he gathered Tyler in his arms and kissed him soundly. Tyler kissed back enthusiastically, a bit too enthusiastically, and he stumbled into Jeremy when he tripped over his own feet. The back of Jeremy's legs hit the fountain and the two went over, shouting as they fell into the warm water.

Jeremy sputtered as he sat up in the fountain and pulled off his glasses to dry them off. He huffed as he placed them back on his face and looked at Tyler who was cracking up. Jeremy couldn't keep the smile from his face as he glanced at his fiancé with dripping wet hair and soggy clothes and he joined in. People looked at them curiously as they walked by but the two men paid them no mind as they sat laughing in the fountain.

"I'm sorry!" Tyler got out between laughs and Jeremy shook his head, water flying everywhere. "I j-j-j-just couldn't h-help myself."

Jeremy chuckled more. "It's alright, I basically attacked you—oh! Where's the ring? God I hope I didn't lose it, it's so beautiful Ty—"

"Don't worry. I spent nearly three m-m-months trying to f-f-find this ring, I wouldn't lose it." The older man stood, ignoring his sopping wet clothes and gave his hand to Jeremy. He grinned as he took it and stood, "My hero."

Tyler grinned back and took the ring out of the box; he took Jeremy's hand and slipped it on. It fit perfectly, as if the ring was made especially for him and the teacher smiled at the shiny diamond that seemed to smile back at him. Ignoring the fact they were still standing in the fountain or that the water had just shot up in the air and was pouring all over them, Jeremy grabbed Tyler and kissed him passionately, Tyler's arms immediately snaking around his waist, the water falling on them made them look like two love-struck characters from everyone's favorite romantic movie. Tyler dipped Jeremy and the younger man laughed into the kiss, too giddy and love-struck to realize they were causing a scene. Some people who had spotted them in the fountain had stopped to watch them mainly out of curiosity, some because they thought the passionate display of love was a beautiful sight. Some took out phones and took pictures; some gave whistles or cat-calls but most mainly smiled at this rare display of two people who were completely and wholly in love.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"This is seriously the cutest picture I have _ever_ seen! Oh my God why didn't you call me and tell me you were doing it yesterday Tyler? I so would have been the photographer for you guys!"

"We didn't want a photographer—that's all the nosey people that wanted to know how we ended up in the fountain," Jeremy chuckled. He looked at the picture again in the paper and shook his head fondly; thankfully, no one got their names and they were dubbed 'the lovers of the Central Plaza fountain.'

"I can't believe w-we're in the paper," Tyler murmured as he sipped at his morning coffee. "I didn't think p-p-p-people would like our PDA _that_ much."

"Um hello! Have you _seen_ you two? You're standing in the middle of a fountain—a really popular fountain—kissing while water is falling around you like it's _The Vow _or something…this is what people like to see! They like knowing that true love is still alive," Caroline said blissfully. Jeremy laughed and Tyler rolled his eyes. "You should totally tell them your names!"

"No," Tyler said pointedly. "I don't want my f-f-f-f-f—my father to see that; he's gotten a bit b-b-b-better since the K-K-Kol incident and I d-d-don't want that to be ruined."

Caroline pouted, "Your father is going to see it anyways, your mother is going to be showing everyone when she sees it, she'll even put it in the wedding somehow, just watch. Is your dad coming to the wedding? Have you told Katherine yet?"

"Told me what? What happened, Caroline?" the eight-year-old climbed into her father's lap and kissed him good morning. Jeremy smiled fondly at them; he couldn't believe that _this_ was going to be his forever. He smiled giddily at the thought.

"Well b-b-baby," Tyler started, not being able to keep the smile off his face. "Your dad and I," he paused and shared a smile with Jeremy.

"What? What are you and Papa doing?" Katherine asked eagerly and Caroline laughed. "Don't keep her waiting!"

"Daddy and I are getting married," Jeremy said, a huge grin spreading across his face as he said the words.

Tyler closed his eyes and counted to three mentally, smiling when Katherine screamed at the top of her lungs and her weight disappeared from his lap. He opened them and watched as Katherine bounced around in Jeremy's lap, her arms around his neck tightly and Jeremy laughing heartily. Caroline grinned and glanced at Tyler, happy to see the serene smile on his face as he watched his family.

"I'm so happy for you Ty," she said softly as she squeezed his hand. Tyler murmured a 'thanks,' eyes never leaving the sight in front of him.

* * *

This day had been a long time coming; he had prepared himself for months and they had been practicing for a month and a half. Not a lot of people would be there but he was still nervous. Today was the day he'd been waiting for since he'd taken Jeremy out on their first date; today, he would marry the love of his life and Jeremy would sign the paper that officially claimed him as Katherine's other father. He felt so deliriously happy he felt like jumping up and down but he also felt so nervous that his stomach was twisting and churning uncomfortably. He couldn't stop his leg from moving as Caroline and his mother ran around the room fussing over him and Katherine.

"We're almost done Katherine, just hold still sweetie."

"Hurry up, it's hot!" she whined. Tyler laughed but it quickly disappeared as quickly as it came. He bit his lip; there was nothing that could go wrong to day but what if it did? What if Kol had somehow found out about the wedding and decided to ruin it? Tyler scowled; if Kol were to show up to ruin his and Jeremy's day he couldn't be held accountable for beating the hell out of him. He barely restrained himself sometimes from finding where he lived and giving him a thrashing for what he nearly cost Jeremy and Katherine.

"Tyler, your bowtie isn't straight," his mother bent in front of him and straightened it. He swatted her hand away, "I can do—do it mom."

"Okay," she murmured and kissed his forehead. "I can't believe my baby's getting married...I'm so proud of you Ty," she whispered as she grabbed the 36-year-old in a bear hug. Tyler laughed and hugged her back. "Thanks mom."

"Now just because you're getting married doesn't mean you can completely forget about me and your father," she began in her mothering tone wiping her eyes. "We expect you home for the holidays—yes every holiday and even your birthday and Jeremy's too and Katherine's sometimes but I know she won't want to spend her birthday with us when she gets older—"

"Mom! St-st-st-stop worrying, I won't forget about you and Dad," Tyler said with a laugh. "But you c-c-can't call me every day l-l-like you have been, that's g-g-got to stop."

The older woman pouted, "But I just want to make sure my baby's okay."

"I know," he said gently. "B-b-but I have Jeremy now Mom. He'll m-m-make s-s-sure I'm fine. And you—you and Dad n-n-need time alone to work things out."

She sighed and Tyler patted her back; he knew the main reason she called him so much was because his father had neglected her but now that his father was really trying to fix their marriage Tyler felt she could limit herself on phone calls.

"Oh all right, I'll only call twice a week so I can talk to Jeremy too. Sound good?"

"Fine," Tyler laughed at her tone. The door opened and Elena peaked her head in, "You ready Ty?"

He pressed his lips together and rubbed his hands nervously, "R-r-ready as I'll ever be."

"You look good," she appraised. "Get out there hot stuff!"

He laughed as she shut the door. He turned to hug his mother again and rolled his eyes as she burst into tears. "Mom—"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry just give me a minute," she said quickly and turned away from him as she pulled out a wad of Kleenex. He felt something hit his leg and looked down at his daughter. He grinned at her, "Someone looks b-b-beautiful."

"Thanks Daddy!" she chirped and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly; he couldn't believe how far they had come.

"I love you Daddy," she whispered and he smiled wider. "Love you too Kit-Kat."

He heard a sniffle behind him and he turned to see Caroline dabbing at her eyes, "I can't believe that—that you're getting married and just—" she trailed off as tears came down. Tyler rolled his eyes good-naturedly and hugged her as well.

"You need to get out there, I'll make sure Kitty's ready to go," she pulled back and swatted him on the butt when he walked by. She laughed at the look he gave her before he walked out the door.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Do you, Tyler Lockwood, take Jeremy Gilbert to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish for all the days of your life until death do you part?"

Jeremy's eyes were shining with happiness and unshed tears and Tyler momentarily forgot what he was supposed to say before he remembered and hastily said, "I do."

Alaric smiled at him before turning to his nephew, his greying hair framing his face nicely, "Same thing Jeremy, I'm not repeating all of that."

The small crowd laughed and Jeremy smiled, one tear trailing down his cheek. "I do." The birds chirped their agreement as they watched the nuptials from above on a tree branch.

"Well then," Alaric started with a wide smile. "By the grand powers invested in me, I pronounce you two happily married and partners in life and love. Go on Tyler, I know you've wanted to kiss him since he walked down the aisle."

Tyler and Jeremy laughed before they moved towards each other simultaneously and Tyler cupped Jeremy's face pressing their lips together gently sharing their first kiss as husbands. Everyone burst into loud applause and the undeniable squeals of Katherine, Caroline and Carol could be heard among the applause and cat-calls. Tyler pulled back and wiped the tears of Jeremy's face that had started falling.

"I love you," Tyler whispered emotionally and kissed him again quickly. Jeremy nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He laughed when Katherine ran up and hugged them both around their waists. Tyler lifted her into his arms and Jeremy wrapped his arms around the two most important people in his world at that moment. The no-longer-single father took Jeremy's hand with his free one and they walked down the aisle, everyone applauding and Pom-Pom, the ring bearer, barking as they passed.

Everyone eventually made their way to the large patio that was fully decorated for the reception. Tyler and Jeremy had decided on a small, intimate wedding with only their closest friends and family there. Carol and Richard had insisted that the wedding be held at their home as to save money and mainly to prevent Kol from showing up should he have found out about the event. Tyler had thought it would be weird to get married at the home he grew up in but Jeremy had thought the idea was perfect. He had asked Alaric to preside over the wedding when he called Jenna to tell her the news.

"Congrats man," Matt said as he hugged Tyler tightly. "I'm glad you guys were able to work this out."

"Th-thanks man. Me too," Tyler said and accepted a hug and a kiss from Bonnie. "You two make a cute couple," she whispered and he laughed.

"Thanks Bonnie. I'm—I'm glad you guys could m-make it."

"The boss-man let us have the day off. He's been a lot calmer since Rebekah's gone," Matt said quietly as if their boss would pop up at any moment. "He's let us do whatever since he promoted us."

Tyler nodded; in addition to Bonnie also becoming President of Starbucks, Klaus fired their CEO who he had long suspected of stealing from the company and promoted Matt to the new position. The look on Matt's face when he found out was absolutely priceless.

Everyone found a seat at the long table that had been set up for dinner as part of the reception. Elena had sat next to her patient, congratulating him once more; she turned her head and gasped at who sat across from her with Caroline. "Stefan? When did you get here?"

Stefan smiled and nodded at her and introduced himself to the newlywed couple. "I had an emergency to take care of—one of my patients was having trouble swallowing and started choking. I'm so sorry I missed the ceremony," he said to Jeremy and Tyler and they nodded in understanding.

Stefan linked his hand with Caroline's and kissed it, looking at her with an expression of pure adoration and the blonde giggled. Damon's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared into his hair. "And where did you two meet?"

"At a bar a couple of weeks ago. This loser was harassing me and Stefan saved me. I had no idea he knew all of you!" Caroline gushed. Tyler laughed and shook his head; Caroline had some interesting bar stories.

"That's…different," Damon mused and Elena hit him under the table.

"What Damon means to say is that he's happy for you Stefan and so am I," Elena smiled at her boss and he returned it. "Thank you Elena."

After dinner the band had changed the tempo and everyone urged Tyler and Jeremy to share a first dance as a married couple. Jeremy blushed heavily and tried to get out of it by saying he couldn't dance but Tyler dragged him on anyways.

"Just—just keep your eyes on me baby," he murmured. Jeremy bit his lip and smiled mischievously. "It's hard not to."

"I can't w-wait for our honeymoon," Tyler dropped his voice lower and it made Jeremy shiver. "The things I'm going to do t-to you when I get you alone…" he laughed when Jeremy purposely stepped on his toe.

"If you don't stop that I'm going to drag you to your old bed room and we're going to see if that bed is still sturdy," Jeremy whispered hotly. Tyler matched his husband's passionate stare.

"Oh really? What's stopping you?"

Jeremy stared at him for a moment before turning and grabbing Tyler's hand, intent on making it to the bedroom when other couples started making their way to the dance floor. They were intercepted by Caroline and Jenna, who stole Jeremy away.

"I know you two were probably going off to have a quickie but I wanted my dance first," she laughed. Tyler laughed too; Caroline knew him too well.

"Yes ma'am," he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. "How long have you and St-Stefan been g-going out?

"Not long, about two weeks or so. You've been so busy with the wedding that I haven't gotten a chance to tell you. So, what do you think?" she asked excitedly. "Perfect gentleman too—they do still exist and they're not all gay!"

Tyler chuckled, "Well C-Caroline, if you're happy then I am too. Seems like a good guy."

"Thank you!" she squealed and hugged him tightly. Tyler smiled; he was happy Caroline had finally found someone that seemed worthy of her time. He hoped it would work out between them the way things worked out for him and Jeremy.

A few feet away where Katherine, Pearl and Anna were happily dancing with each other and Pom-Pom, Jeremy twirled Jenna gracefully. She beamed at him and kissed his cheek. "I'm so proud of you Jere. Your parents would be too."

"Thanks Jenna, that means a lot," Jeremy said happily.

"Now when you open presents, open the one from me and Alaric privately. Your uncle has a…vivid imagination when it comes to gifts." She laughed as Jeremy groaned.

"I don't think I want to know," he muttered. She smirked.

"Believe me, you'll want to use this."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

They honeymooned in the Bahamas and for a week straight they enjoyed the sun, the beach and each other. They spent nearly all their time naked in bed or doing activities like swimming with dolphins or parasailing. Alaric's present, which turned out to be a goodie box of assorted sex toys, including handcuffs, different flavors of lube, a bottle of chocolate syrup and some cans of whipped cream, was actually put to very good use.

When they returned nothing had changed, yet things weren't the same either. School had started while they were away and they both had to get back to work and caring for their eight-year-old third grader. Even though real life resumed they were still in their honeymoon stage; Jeremy was completely enamored with everything Tyler did and vice versa. Like Jeremy had envisioned, Tyler was able to take more time off from work and get his afternoons and weekends free to spend with his family at the park or the beach with their daughter. Caroline brought Katherine home from school since Jeremy had to stay later but he had dinner prepared by the time Tyler came home. Tyler saw Elena twice a week since his schedule allowed for it now and his stutter was nearly gone; Elena believed that when it went away, it wouldn't be coming back. He would have slip-ups here and there but it would never come back full force.

After nearly a year of complete domestic bliss, Tyler and Jeremy sat Katherine down and asked her what she would think of having a sibling. The reaction they received made them smile and was all the go ahead they needed to start preparing for their new child.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"Are you ready for this?" Tyler whispered as he held Jeremy's hand tightly, comforted by the wedding band he felt press against his skin. Jeremy squeezed his hand.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I can't wait to bring him home," Jeremy said, nervousness and excitement coating is voice. Tyler grinned at him before pulling him along to walk into the adoption agency. This time around, Tyler and Jeremy decided to look online for gay-friend establishments and found quite a few around them. The closest one, Little Hopes, Big Dreams Foster Care Agency, had been nothing but supportive and kind through the whole process and after four short months, their baby boy was here. It also helped that Jeremy knew one of the social workers there and they were able to speed up the process.

Jeremy bit his lip as they entered and the receptionist immediately bestowed them with a smile.

"Hey y'all, today's the big day huh?" Amelia grinned from her desk. Tyler smiled and nodded.

"Yeah t-today's the day," he smiled wistfully, still hardly believing that he was about to add an addition to his family.

"Well y'all are lucky; he's a cutie," she said, her southern accent heavily pronounced. A minute later they heard the bouncy voice of Rose coming from the hallway.

"Look whose here," she said in a sing-song voice to a little boy in her arms and Jeremy's heart pounded as the little boy's hazel eyes landed on him and Tyler. He sucked in a wobbly breath as he gazed at their new son, Mason Lockwood.

She stopped in front of him and held him out to him. Mason grinned toothily and reached his arm out towards Jeremy, giggling when the man took him into his arms. Jeremy beamed at his baby boy and Tyler smiled warmly at the two of them, touched at the display of love.

"Hey baby, you're home," he whispered. Tyler put a hand on Mason's back and leaned down to give Jeremy a quick peck. He kissed his new son's forehead and gazed into the bright, beautiful hazel eyes.

"I love you," Tyler murmured, smiling when Mason giggled. Jeremy smiled and kissed his cheek. "I think that means he loves you too."

"He is just the cutest thing," Rose cooed. "So is your daughter, Jere. You did well without me."

Jeremy laughed, "Thanks Rose. Your blind dates were…interesting but they just weren't for me."

"I see," she said slyly looking Tyler up and down. "You _definitely_ did better than what I've found, I'll give you that. Where can I find a Tyler? I think all of us should get one." She and the other women laughed as Tyler flushed. Jeremy laughed shaking his head.

"Sorry ladies, there's only one of him and he's all mine," he laughed again when they all groaned.

"Figures," Rose muttered with a smile. "Well you two—sorry you three—look good together. And I'll come see you soon cutie," she cooed to Mason who smiled toothily as she pinched his arm lightly. "But I know you'll be in good hands because your dads are amazing people."

"Thanks Rose. Thank you guys for everything," Jeremy said softly and she nodded with a smile, leaving the proud parents to get acquainted with their new son.

"He's perfect. Katherine is going to love him," Jeremy said with awe; Tyler couldn't have agreed more. His heart soared as the hazel eyes turned to him with childish curiosity and wonder; his family was complete.

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**One more to go! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	16. Epilogue

**This is it, the final chapter of this story! I'm excited that it's finished so I can move on to other stories I have planned (both for fanfiction and for publishing) and I want to thank everyone and anyone who has read, reviewed, commented, favorited, or alerted this story. I hope you guys enjoy the ending and please don't forget to review! They are always appreciated :) and if you want to message me, I will respond to those in a timely fashion, I hope. Happy reading!**

**Warning: Major sex scene ;) if you don't want to read it, you'll know when it's coming so you can skip over it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

* * *

_9 Years Later_

Tyler grinned as Jeremy snapped yet another picture. "Okay, now let's get one with you and your brother."

"Papa," Katherine groaned as Mason came bounding into the camera's view, his dark hair pushed back from his bright, hazel eyes. "I'm going to be late if we keep doing this."

"I just want a few more pictures then we can go. This is a big day Kit-Kat and we need to remember it," Jeremy said as he got the camera into position and snapped a couple pictures at different angles. Tyler shook his head laughing and sipped from his wine.

"I can't believe it," Caroline whispered next to him, sounding on the verge of tears…again. "She's about to go to college and…and I won't have to be her nanny anymore…" she trailed off and picked up another tissue, dabbing at her eyes. Stefan drew her to him in a one-armed hug.

"You'll still have Mason to look after love," he reminded her gently.

"But he's getting older too! Tyler, please adopt another kid, my heart can't take this!"

"You're about to have your own child Caroline. Just wait until that baby arrives," Tyler laughed. He couldn't wait to see how Caroline handled changing diapers.

"But that's so long from now," she whined, her hand unconsciously going to her stomach; she had found out the previous week that she was expecting. He watched as Stefan's hand covered hers and he smiled.

"Okay, perfect…where are Elena and Damon?" Jeremy asked and on cue the couple walked into the house, Damon holding a very pregnant Elena's hand and their four-year old son Jacob situated nicely on his shoulders.

"Bout time you showed up, she's going to be late," Jeremy scowled at his sister who laughed. "Where's Jenna?"

"She said they would meet us there." She waddled to Katherine and hugged her. "Congratulations sweetie," she murmured and Katherine smiled brightly, "Thanks Elena."

"Alright, we need to go," Tyler said and everyone followed his lead out the door. The school wasn't too far away but parking was going to be hectic and finding seats, even though they were reserved, was going to be the worst. He smiled as he felt Katherine grab his hand and he waited until everyone walked ahead of them. Jeremy glanced at them and smiled warmly before steering Mason in the direction of the car.

"What's wrong baby?" he said noticing her nervous expression.

"Nothing, I'm just…I'm scared Daddy," she whispered. Tyler knew the feeling; it only seemed like yesterday that Katherine was only as tall his hip and running around the house with Pom-Pom and Caroline and now his baby girl was graduating high school with honors and a full-ride soccer scholarship to UC San Diego in the fall. Tyler was absolutely terrified of Katherine going so far but Jeremy had assured him over and over that Katherine was a smart kid and she would be fine.

"I am too Baby," he said truthfully. "But I'm so proud of you. You've come so far and you put in a lot of work to get to where you are. You deserve this Katherine."

"_We _put in a lot of work, Daddy. But maybe I shouldn't go to San Diego…I got into NYU and it would be way closer—"

"Kitty, San Diego has been your dream school since you were ten! You have to go," Tyler said with a laugh.

"But what about Mason?"

"Your brother will live. He'll miss you a lot but he'll be fine. We got Skype set up on his computer so you guys can talk whenever you want."

"But who's going to babysit Jacob?"

"Caroline can handle him, she'll be okay."

"But—"

"Kitty, everything will be fine. You're going to go to San Diego and have a blast. You won't worry about us at all," Tyler said reassuringly.

She bit her lip and adjusted her cap on her head. "Okay," she murmured. She wished she could just move everyone to California so she wouldn't miss them so much. Tyler smiled and pulled her into a hug, holding his tears in that suddenly sprung to his eyes; he was _not_ going to be one of those parents, he'd leave that to Jeremy.

She hugged him tightly, "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Kit-Kat," he murmured into her hair.

A car horn broke them apart, "C'mon guys, traffic is going to be heavy!" Jeremy called to them. Tyler smiled at his girl before taking her hand and helping her down the stairs.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

"Katherine Lockwood!" the announcer called and Tyler felt a surge of pride as his daughter walked across the stage. Shouts and cries from friends and family filled the auditorium as Katherine accepted her diploma, beaming all the while. He looked over at his husband who smiled back at him and he couldn't resist kissing him. Jeremy smiled and cupped his face, "I love you Tyler Lockwood," he murmured gently, love shining in his eyes.

"I love you too Jeremy Lockwood," he murmured back and pecked him again. He laughed as Mason and his friends screamed as loud as they could and she turned in their direction holding her diploma and made a goofy face at them. He heard his mother laugh from his other side and he wouldn't have been surprised if she was making one back at her. Over the years she, Katherine and Caroline hadn't lost their excitability, nor had they drifted apart and Mason fit right in with them. Tyler would have thought that Mason would have been a little calmer but he couldn't have been more wrong; he and Jeremy spent many afternoons running after their two adorable but hyper-active children. Mason had even learned to squeal like Katherine.

After the rest of the graduating class from Hillmark was given their diplomas and they were allowed to throw their hats with the promise that they would pick them up afterwards, everyone was ushered into the room across the hall that was decorated elegantly in blue and white. Jeremy and Tyler quickly located their daughter surrounded by her boyfriend and her many friends; Katherine had become quite popular over the years with her involvement in school and sports. Tyler had often griped to Jeremy that she was too popular with the boys and Jeremy just laughed at him.

"Congrats baby, I'm so proud of you," Jeremy cooed as he held her tightly. Tyler could tell that Jeremy would start crying soon, whether it was here or back in the safety of their home was yet to be seen.

"Thanks Papa," she muttered feeling tears springing to her eyes. She couldn't imagine leaving her dads; her dad and ex-teacher had become such a huge part of her life since she was seven she couldn't imagine a day without him and her daddy…her daddy had been there through everything. She didn't know how she was supposed to leave them.

"Let's save the crying for home," Jeremy said as he pulled back laughing wiping his eyes and she nodded. She launched herself into Tyler's arms as some of the other graduates came to say hi to Jeremy and Tyler held her tightly, his mind unwillingly counting down until he couldn't do this anymore.

An unmistakable squeal was heard behind him as Caroline grabbed Katherine into a bear hug and they jumped up and down, Mason mimicking them from behind. Tyler and Jeremy laughed.

"You three…sometimes I really wonder if you're all blood related," Tyler chuckled. The girls pulled back and grinned.

"I don't know Ty," Caroline smiled as she looked between all of them. "Mason looks a lot like you and Katherine looks just like Elena and a little like Jeremy…"

"It _is_ weird how much Mason does look like you Ty…is there something you need to tell me?" Jeremy joked pushing him playfully.

Tyler snorted rolling his eyes with a smile, "I forgot to tell you that I went through a phase where I slept with women…" he laughed as Jeremy swatted at him. Carol and Richard approached them then, each giving Katherine a congratulatory hug and kiss. Richard shook hands with Jeremy and Tyler, pulling Tyler off to the side a bit. Jeremy watched them for a moment before turning back to everyone else.

Tyler looked at him questioningly, "What's wrong?"

He held a blue envelope in his hand, "Kol was here. He wanted me to give Katherine this."

A dark look came over Tyler's face, "Why the hell was he here? I thought the restraining order said he couldn't come within ten feet of the school?"

"It expired last year. You said he hasn't been by your apartment or Katherine's school and he hasn't come anywhere near my office building."

"Because he had no choice." Tyler sighed and took the envelope, "Should I give it to her? I don't want to ruin tonight for her with his bullshit."

"I was going to throw it away but there's probably money in there. I wouldn't tell her but it's up to you. She could choose to open it though I think it's safe to say that she doesn't want anything to do with him after you explained everything to her."

Tyler hummed in agreement pressing his lips together; one of the hardest things he and Jeremy had to do as parents was explain to their two children why there was a restraining order against her former father and why Mason would never meet him. Katherine had immediately declared that she hated Kol and never wanted contact with him, especially since he had tried to ruin her dad's life and Mason had nightmares for weeks that Kol would show up and hurt his papa or kidnap his sister. He remembered when Mason went through a phase of sleeping in Katherine's bed to keep her safe.

"I'll talk to Jeremy about it…but I know what he's going to say," Tyler sighed. He couldn't understand, for the life of him, why Jeremy seemed to feel bad for Kol. Kol had put him through the most hell yet he was the one who suggested that they lift the restraining order and let Katherine see her father. Naturally Tyler had protested and Katherine had refused to have anything to do with him claiming that Jeremy was her other dad and nothing would change that.

"I wouldn't say anything to him but I know you can't keep a secret from him. I can't understand how he's so sympathetic with him after everything. If I could I would have him thrown in jail, that lowlife scum."

"That's just who Jeremy is. He's a good person," Tyler said wistfully as he watched his husband laughing with their friends and family and his former students.

"A true saint," Richard muttered. "Well I've kept you long enough. I just wanted to tell you he was here and to be on the look-out. I don't know if we'll be able to renew the orders but I'll see what I can do. I don't want him finding out about Mason, if he doesn't know already."

"God forbid," Tyler muttered before hugging him. "Thanks Dad," he murmured before they rejoined the group. He ruffled Mason's hair before he grabbed Jeremy's hand and squeezed it gently, "Let's get out of here?"

Jeremy smiled and nodded, "I thought you'd never ask.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

After making sure all the graduates would be fine at sober grad, Tyler, Jeremy and the rest of the parents were invited to a celebration of their own. Mason had gone out with some of his friends and Caroline was set to pick him up in the morning, claiming that Tyler and Jeremy would be too hung over to function.

"You guys don't think you'll be drinking a lot but your daughter just graduated from high-school. If you guys _didn't _get drunk I would be disappointed," she said in response to their denials. "Throw back a couple for me at least! I can't do anything for at least a year!"

The club where the party was held was very chic and Tyler guessed that a bottle of champagne was easily $1,000 but the parents were supplied with multiple bottles of the club's finest. After an hour everyone was laughing and talking obnoxiously over each other; Jeremy could feel his head buzzing and he wanted to leave so he could be alone with his husband and have their own private party.

"Hey baby, can I take you home?" A low, sultry voice asked behind him and he laughed as Tyler nuzzled his neck and wrapped strong arms around his waist.

"Hmm, I guess you can but don't tell my husband. I don't think he'll like that."

"Your husband shouldn't have let you come out alone," Tyler whispered salaciously. He licked Jeremy's neck before telling their friends and the other parents goodnight and exiting the club hailing a cab. Jeremy's lips immediately found his and he pressed him against the opposite door ravaging his mouth, pulling away long enough to tell the driver their destination before Jeremy pulled him close again. Even after all this time, Jeremy still managed to make him feel like a teenager. Ten years of being together and they were still in their honeymoon stage. He bit his lip to stop from crying out as Jeremy worked on his neck while slipping his hands into his pants deftly grabbing his growing erection. His back hit the other side of the taxi as Jeremy landed somewhat on top of him and he buried his hands in his brown hair, lips searching for any bare skin.

After what felt like only a few seconds the taxi stopped in front of their apartment building. Tyler fished out a $50 and gave it to the driver, pulling his husband out the car laughing. "Keep the change!" he called out to the driver staring at him in shock. Jeremy laughed and grabbed Tyler's face so he could bring their lips together again. He pulled back quickly and Tyler tried to snatch him back but he took off for the stairs laughing. Tyler laughed as well before following him, determined to catch him before he got to the door. His smile turned into a smirk when he saw Jeremy fumbling with the keys and quickly pinned him against the door, reattaching his lips to his neck. Jeremy's laugh turned into a moan as Tyler moved down his shoulder and shoved his shirt down roughly on the right side leaving bites against his shoulder.

"Mmm you're distracting me," Jeremy's head lolled to the opposite side. Tyler slipped the keys from his loose grip and found the one that unlocked the apartment, sticking it in and turning it in seconds. He pushed the door open and closed it just as quickly, locking it before he was turned around and forced against the wall, Jeremy's lips finding his again in a searing kiss. He grabbed him around the waist tightly and held him closer catching Jeremy's breathless sigh as he slipped his hands under his shirt, feeling his bare back.

"Bedroom…now," Jeremy panted out and he took Tyler's hands dragging him to their room. Tyler grabbed him and turned him around so his back was against his chest; his hands traveled to his button-down shirt and he skillfully undid the rest of them, kissing Jeremy's neck all the while and arousing Jeremy greatly. The shirt fell off, leaving the teacher's torso bare and pale as Tyler continued to administer kisses across the back of his neck to the other shoulder.

"So beautiful," he whispered, hands going around teasing his nipples. "Gorgeous. Like the first time I saw you."

Jeremy moaned softly as his head rested on Tyler's shoulder; Tyler's hands unbuckled his belt and his pants, pulling down the zipper with an audible sound before reaching between pants and boxer briefs and stroking his erection.

"If you don't stop…I'll come right here," Jeremy breathed out as he unconsciously thrust into Tyler's hand.

"Well we can't have that," Tyler murmured and removed his hand, smiling when Jeremy groaned in protest. He scooped the teacher into his arms and carried him to their bedroom, pausing in the doorway to kiss him gently. Jeremy looked at the bed and gasped as he saw their room bathed in soft candlelight with rose petals scattered on their black comforter and dark blue, threadbare sheets.

"When'd you do all of this?" he asked in awe. Tyler grinned slyly. "I might have had Caroline and Stefan come in and fix it up for us. It's a big night for us too, we got one of our kids through high-school. That's more than enough reason to celebrate."

"Tyler Lockwood…you never cease to amaze me," Jeremy murmured and he kissed Tyler passionately. "I feel like a girl."

The older man laughed and gently deposited his husband in the middle of the bed and rose petals. "You're definitely not a girl babe, trust me. We wouldn't be together if you were."

Jeremy rolled his eyes with a fond smile before he grabbed Tyler to him and the sexually charged energy returned tenfold as they wasted no time in peeling off each other's clothes. Tyler pressed as close as possible to Jeremy and kissed his way down his body, stopping to suck on a patch of skin on his thigh. Jeremy moaned as Tyler finally gave him relief and took him into his mouth, hissing as his tongue glided over his head in quick strokes.

"Jesus Ty you're too good at this," Jeremy muttered out before another moan bubbled from his throat. He bit his lip hard to stave off his release but with Tyler working him up so much he didn't think he could last much longer.

When he felt the end coming he pushed Tyler off him gently and brought him up for a deep kiss. He wrapped his legs around them and flipped them over, smiling as he kissed his way down his husband's toned, hard body. Since he spent less hours at work, Tyler had found time to work out like he used to and it had done wonders for him. Jeremy reaped the benefits as well.

He reached Tyler's erection and licked the tip, relishing Tyler's guttural moan. He glared at the teacher, "Don't be a tease Jeremy."

Jeremy gave him a sly smile before lowering his head to fulfill Tyler's needs. The room became stifling and full of Tyler's groans and cries as Jeremy brought him closer and closer to the edge. When Tyler started shaking Jeremy came off him and slithered up his body, licking and kissing his way to his neck and going to suck on an earlobe. Tyler flipped him over quickly and pressed his lips to Jeremy's in a sloppy kiss.

"I think you're better than me," he whispered huskily as his hand reached into the nightstand drawer to find the lube. He pulled it out and squirted some onto his fingers before sliding one into Jeremy. The teacher moaned as he clenched around him and Tyler's mind went blank momentarily as he imagined being held in that slick grip in a few moments. After sliding his finger in and out for a couple moments he added a second and a third.

"Tyler I need it," Jeremy panted as he writhed under him. "Now baby, I need it now."

"Hang on love," he whispered as he kissed him softly. He squirted a considerable amount of lube into his hands and coated himself with it. He used the remaining lube to circle around Jeremy's entrance and slipped his fingers inside once more before dragging Jeremy by his legs closer to him and wrapped one around his waist and placing the foot of the other on his shoulder. "Ready?" he asked breathlessly. Jeremy nodded eagerly and Tyler laughed before pushing inside the tight heat.

Jeremy arched his back and cried out as Tyler easily glided into him and he took all of him. His mouth was open in a silent scream as Tyler pulled back and thrust in again, Tyler moaning above him. Tyler lowered himself onto his husband, his thrusts continuing long and deep. Jeremy was panting; one hand grabbing the edge of the bed, the other clawing Tyler's back as his leg wrapped tightly around Tyler's waist as the elder thrust into him rhythmically, slowly, wanting to drag out their lovemaking for as long as possible, his head in Jeremy's neck as he moaned.

"Tyler!" Jeremy cried out softly. "God Ty, please!" He cried out sharply when Tyler slid in tortuously slow, moaning out at the feel of him.

"Still so tight after all this time," Tyler whispered and kissed his husband hard. "You feel so good Jeremy." He teased his nipples and Jeremy arched his back and whimpered. "Tyler baby please!"

Another slow thrust and Jeremy thought he would lose his mind, nearly screaming with pleasure. Tyler grinned and pulled his erection firmly, making his hips buck up, "I love when you get loud baby, so hot."

"Tyler!" Jeremy nearly sobbed. "Please baby please!"

"Please what?" Tyler teased.

"Harder, deeper, I don't care, just move!"

Tyler smirked and fulfilled Jeremy's request thrusting as hard and as deep as he could, Jeremy's cries and near-screams of passion filling their room and probably distracting their neighbors but he could have cared less; Jeremy was the sexiest thing he ever heard and he wanted to keep the sounds going for as long as possible. The bed was rocking hard with the force of the thrusts and mixing in with Jeremy's mewls and cries.

"Oh my God Ty—right there!" Jeremy cried loudly as Tyler hit his sweet spot over and over. They were really lucky their children weren't home; Caroline could probably hear them from three floors down.

"I'm close babe," Tyler gasped out, hips moving of their own accord as his thighs slammed against the backs of Jeremy's, the sound of skin slapping skin nearly as loud as Jeremy. The noise from outside, the rocking bed, everything faded out as Jeremy felt the familiar pooling heat in his stomach and he reached down to touch himself. Tyler swatted his hand away and grabbed it himself, stroking firmly.

"Tyler!" Jeremy's back arched and he cried out once more as he spilled all over Tyler's hand nearly falling off the bed. He clenched around Tyler and the older man groaned loudly as he released inside him, his vision whitening out a bit from the sheer intensity of his orgasm and he had to close his eyes for a moment. He managed to drag Jeremy's body from falling over the edge of the bed before he fell next to him breathing harshly, Jeremy breathing just as loudly next to him. Jeremy was visibly shaking as he rolled onto his back with his head at the foot of the bed and he wondered how they wound up that way.

"God Jeremy," Tyler whispered when he had gained enough energy to speak. "That was…the word amazing doesn't do that justice."

Jeremy laughed and rolled over onto his stomach, facing Tyler. "You're not…so bad yourself," he said in between deep breaths grinning cheekily. Tyler smiled and shook his head bringing the smaller man into his arms and kissing his forehead.

"This was…the best I've had," Tyler said after a few moments and Jeremy laughed.

"Oh really? I thought you said that quickie we had in the bathroom of the Cheesecake Factory for our first anniversary was the best?"

Tyler looked thoughtful for a moment, "Okay it's a tie with that time."

"And the time when I surprised you at work and you bent me over your desk after you spanked me."

Tyler grinned at that memory, shivers going through him; he thought that Klaus would walk in and have a heart attack. It made him laugh though it wouldn't have made him stop taking Jeremy, needy as he was at that moment.

"Okay maybe that one too…"

"Or the time we went to the beach and we did it in the ocean…with our family fifty feet away from us."

Tyler laughed and shook his head, "That was hilarious. You were so scared my father would see us."

"I was more concerned our children would see us. We would have scarred them for life."

"They would live. They know we can't keep our hands to ourselves," Tyler said slyly. He didn't think he would ever get enough of his seemingly shy husband that turned out to be a complete nympho behind closed doors. When he thought about it, they'd had sex in some of the craziest places over the years and some of them landed them in risky situations. Tyler never thought he or Jeremy would be so _daring_; it definitely made life more interesting and way more fun.

"Yes…much to your father's chagrin," he laughed and Tyler chuckled; it was clear that any PDA they showed in front of Richard Lockwood made him uncomfortable though he tried to hide his discomfort. At first they tried to keep it to just holding hands in his presence but it became harder over the years to keep their hands to themselves.

"I can't help that you're so irresistible. I feel like you're a magnet, I'm so drawn to you. I bet that if we'd stayed at that club for another twenty minutes I would have dragged you to one of those booths and had you right there," Tyler mused.

"And you think I would've let you have me right there? Excuse me, Mr. Lockwood, I have _some _self-control!"

"You know how many public places we've had sex? I bet you would've sprinted to that booth if I'd told you we should do it!"

"…true enough," Jeremy sighed and chuckled along with Tyler. He was so attracted to Tyler he couldn't help himself; if he wanted Tyler he would have him, the place and the time didn't matter sometimes when all he could think about was his husband being inside of him.

"Like that one time I persuaded you to do it in the teacher's lounge at Hillmark…"

"We were lucky everyone was gone for the day and Caroline knew what we were up to so she took Katherine and Mason home. Parents definitely would have had complaints then. You get me so hot and bothered I can't think straight sometimes."

"I didn't know I affected you so much," Tyler whispered and he gave his husband a heartfelt kiss. "I thought I was the only one."

"Definitely not," Jeremy whispered, touched and aroused that he affected his husband the way he did him. Tyler kissed him again soft and sweet, his eyes burning with affection and love for the younger teacher.

"I love you so much Jeremy," he whispered and pecked his nose. Jeremy's heart thumped; hearing those words always made his heart race.

"I love you too Ty. Always," he whispered back as he snuggled into his husband's arms and they fell asleep.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Jeremy woke to something wet on his cheek. He opened one eye and saw Pom-Pom licking him in greeting. He groaned and tried shoving him away but the dog persisted until Jeremy sat up.

"Alright I'm up. You're annoying sometimes, you know that?" he grumbled petulantly at the dog that barked in response and wagged his tail frantically and he smiled. Sometimes, Jeremy wondered if Pom-Pom could understand what they were saying. It was then he noticed the smell of food and the sound of happy voices coming from the kitchen; his kids were back. He smiled and found a pair of Tyler's boxers on the floor, slipping them on before he made his way out to the kitchen, Pom-Pom trailing him. He was greeted with the sight of Katherine and Tyler cooking while Mason set the table. Jeremy smiled warmly; watching his family work together like this always made him smile, just like watching Tyler cook in his boxers turned him on. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind; they would have to shower together later.

"Hi Papa!" Katherine smiled at him as she whisked the eggs in the medium-sized silver bowl. "Are you hungry?"

"Starved," Jeremy said as he sat at the table. Mason finished his task and sat on Jeremy's left. "Did you guys get drunk last night like Caroline said you would?" he asked with childish curiosity. Jeremy laughed and ruffled his hair.

"No silly. We had a couple of drinks, talked with your teachers and came home."

"What'd they say about me?" Mason asked with wide eyes.

"That you need to step it up and stop messing around in class," Jeremy said straight-faced. Mason blinked rapidly and started protesting, Jeremy's laugh interrupting his ramble. "Kidding! They said you were one of their best students and they want you to keep up the good work."

"Oh. You scared me for a minute there," he said in obvious relief as he took a large gulp of orange juice.

"But they did tell us you were having trouble with some boys in your class," Jeremy watched him carefully and Mason looked down, trying to hide his expression. "What are they saying to you Mason?"

"Nothing really…" he trailed off.

"Mason it's okay, you can tell me," Jeremy said soothingly.

"They just…they make fun of me because I'm adopted…by two guys and I told them I didn't see what the problem was since you and Dad have been better to me than my other parents," he said quietly. Jeremy sighed; he should've known it was something like that. Learning about their son's drugged out mother and alcoholic father was a shock for him and Tyler.

"You just have to ignore them May," Jeremy said quietly. "They don't know you and they don't know what kind of life you had before we adopted you."

"I know, they stopped bothering me now. I don't know why but I think Kit has something to do with it," he said with a smile. Jeremy chuckled; the Lockwood siblings were extremely protective of one another. Jeremy remembered how Katherine had been sent home from school because she punched a boy a year older than her for picking on Mason when she was in seventh grade and Mason was in fourth; when Grandpa Lockwood found out he treated both the siblings to dinner.

"Your sister…she has a way with bullies," he chuckled as he shook his head. Katherine brought the plate of scrambled eggs to the table and sat down on Jeremy's other side. "What about me and bullies?"

"I was just remembering the time you punched that kid when he was picking on Mason."

"Oh him…he deserved it. Anna and Pearl did more physical stuff back then than I did," Katherine mused. She looked at her brother, "Don't get in trouble when I'm gone. I don't want to have to fly back and forth from California to take care of your bullies."

"I can do it myself," Mason said as he helped himself to some eggs and bacon that was placed on the table courtesy of Tyler. "I'm a big boy. I don't need you to fight my battles."

"You can't deny that you still need my help sometimes. I'm your sister."

"I know but I think I'll be okay now, they've been leaving me alone."

Katherine gave a small secretive smile. "Good. It better stay that way."

Everyone laughed as they loaded up their plates and ate, chatting about everything and anything that came to mind. Tyler watched three of his favorite people talking and laughing and it made his heart swell. He never thought he'd be in the position he was in now; he had a loving husband and two wonderful children, good, reliable friends he loved, a stable, steady job at one of the top companies in the world and a very nice income, and a support system he didn't know where he'd be without. When it had seemed that his life was going to be lonely forever he was blessed in ways he didn't think were possible and he was grateful every day. His relationship with each of his parents had become stronger too; there were no more awkward or strained family dinners and no derogatory comments toward him or his partner. Being accepted by the people he loved had never felt better.

"So, Kitty, what do you want to do on your first day out of high-school?" Jeremy asked as they cleared the table.

"Well..." she looked thoughtful for a moment, "can we go to the zoo?" she asked. Tyler laughed heartily and Mason groaned.

"Kit, you know how many times we've been to the zoo?"

"Not nearly enough. I want Caroline to come too, like old times."

Mason opened his mouth to protest but Tyler shot him a look and he closed it. He looked at his daughter and smiled, "The zoo it is. We'll leave in thirty minutes so call Caroline now."

The squeal Katherine let out made Mason laugh and they raced to their rooms, Mason's previous protests forgotten as they raced to get dressed to go to their favorite place. Jeremy shared a smile with Tyler before taking his hand and going to their bedroom to get ready for the day.

Mason and Katherine were playfully boxing when they both came out. "Alright rugrats, let's go," Jeremy said fondly. The two rushed out the door in seconds and Jeremy made to follow them when he was whirled around and brought into a tender kiss.

"What was that for?" Jeremy asked breathlessly as they pulled apart.

"It's my way of saying thank you. For everything," Tyler murmured, a slow smile spreading across his face. Jeremy cupped his face tenderly and smiled in understanding.

"Always," he murmured and kissed Tyler again before leading him out the door.

* * *

**The end! Thank you for reading and as always, reviews/comments are greatly appreciated :) Also, check out my other stories as well! :)**


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